Victor Davis can be considered the Jon Lucien of the new soul movement. Combining a soulfully pure soul sound with a touch of a Brazilian house and jazz groove.
Victor takes you from the dance floor, lounge type groove, to the bedroom (if you are with the right person) without missing a beat.
The R&B world need to take notice that there is another artist that is doing his own thing and not following the typical boring rules. If you love Lewis Taylor, Stephen Simmonds or D'Angelo, you have to give this artist a close listen.
The words singer/songwriter rarely appear within the genre of dance music, which is probably why Victor Davies sounds so refreshing and new, despite the fact that he is working in the classic '70s folk-funk template laid down by artists like Roy Ayers and Terry Callier.
In essence, Davies' debut album on JCR (Jazzanova Compost Recordings) sounds like the template music that jazz-dub heavyweights Jazzanova and Kruder & Dorfmeister rebuilt into their '90s beat-fetish likeness of the original.
But Davies' stellar vocals and melodies that walk the line between classic and cliché create a strangely comforting and familiar place where the grown-up children of '70s soul-schmaltz fusion can grasp at a nostalgia lying just out of reach.
"One Thing" centers around a country-folk guitar that could have been snagged from the Black Crowes, or better yet, Led Zeppelin. "Spirit" takes the marshmallow pop influence of "Afternoon Delight" and brings it to just the hip side of easy listening.
The opener, "Sound of the Samba," begins as a melancholy tribute to the Latin festivals before a theatrical tempo shift brings the listener into the middle of the Caribbean disco carnival Davies is singing about.
Unafraid of the commitment required to make a truly inspired song, Davies demonstrates why, despite the academic illusion to the contrary, a sampler is no match for an artist with a gold-stringed guitar and honey-coated voice. [Victor Davies Review by Joshua Glazer]
Track listing
1. Sound Of The Samba - 5:08
Flute – Nathan Haines
2. Better Place - 4:36
3. Runaway Train - 3:51
4. Spirit - 5:13
Backing Vocals – Loretta Heywood
5. Take It Or Leave It - 3:47
6. One Thing - 3:35
7. Lady Luck - 5:11
Tenor Saxophone – Adrian Moody
8. I'm Just Me - 3:23
9. Blues For You - 5:43
10. Winnie's Song - 4:28
11. Brother - 5:21
All Tracks Written & Produced by Victor Davies
Companies, etc.
- Copyright © – Jazzanova Compost Records (JCR)
- Licensed From – Afro Gigolo Records
- Published By – Kirasun Music
- Published By – Westbury Music
- Pressed By – SNA
Credits
- Artwork – Andrew Arnold
- Electric Piano [Rhodes] – Jake Hirsch
- Photography By – Pete Muller
- Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute – Sam Cooke
- Violin – Merrilyn Baer
- Tenor Sax ("Lady Luck") by Adrian Moody
- Flute ("Sound Of The Samba") by Nathan Haines
- Flugel Horn ("Better Place") by Joe Holveger
- Backing vocals ("Spirit") by Loretta Heywood
- Written-By, Producer, Arranged By, Vocals [All], Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar, Acoustic Guitar [JDB00], Electric Piano, Percussion – Victor Davies
Notes
Released: 2001
Genre: Neo Soul / Acid Jazz
Length: 50:15
Label - Jazzanova Compost Records
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