Enter a zip code
CD
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| 6 | |
| 7 | |
| 8 | |
| 9 | |
| 10 | |
Add Andy Davis name to the list of contemporary piano-popsters - Ben Folds, Five For Fighting's John Ondrasik, among them - who bridge the worlds of pop and rock via the ivories. Davis may be the more versatile and accessible of the bunch. He fills his debut Let the Woman, with engaging, literate pop songs and proves himself an adept guitar slinger as well. His smoky soul-tinged voice - think Jackson Browne with some grit and a pretty falsetto - is hooky enough that it almost out-muscles his compelling wordplay on songs like the damaged "Believable Doubt" and the defiant "Our Love Is Not Their Business" (the obvious metaphors of "Black Keys" may be the only misstep here). -- Producer Mitchell Froom's stewardship is note perfect - he conjures up Daniel Lanois-worthy atmospherics in "Beautiful Day for Bad News" but keeps the focus on Davis's vocals and drama-laden hooks. There certainly are others mining this turf, but by mixing soul, classic British pop and confessional singer/songwriter styles with craftsman's ethic, he suggests a budding Elton John in the making. Seth Kaufman, Barnes & Noble