“The imaginative, sparse approach of "Wilco" & the vocal attitude & character of "Tom Petty" but holding a place of it's own that hasn't been filled by anyone...allowed me to leave the planet for a few moments w/o ever leaving the desk...brilliantly fresh music!"
...the singer-songwriter-guitarrist always delivers on the emotion...The lucky 13 songs on “Without Annette” bring together touches of Americana with a taste of U.K. mope rock (“Ruby Aiyo” recalls Karl Wallinger’s World Party).
The guy cooks!
Seth Davis is a passionate creative force and a
passionate performer...his music screams passion even in the quietest of interludes.
A flow of powerful songs with the punctuation and space that marks a gifted craftsman...lyrics poetic and pointed...a journey through the mind of a songwriter prizoner to his art but free to let love rule.
Seth Davis establishes himself as a poet of notable talent.
Earthy and rasping while remaining personable and somehow sweet, Seth’s vocals bring a
storytelling, troubadour quality, while his writing suggests the poetic, personalized depths of an urban Lucinda Williams... Rarely does a musician arrive on the scene with the songwriting
craftsmanship displayed by Seth Davis.
Seth Davis— Prettier Than Blue
(Karma Roads Records)Prettier Than Blue is an embarassment of riches in more ways than one, an album stocked as full as a grocery store endcap with mostly mid-tempo songs evoking the Beatles and the quiet moments of Bruce Springsteen’s career at various turns. And if you like that sort of thing, there’s 16 songs here, all but one written by the artist.
Davis sings with an earnest voice, emotion often delivered with dramatic flair. “I Hope it’s You” is a curious exercise in which Davis sings of a man who wants to come back as a woman, more specifically the one he loves. “Two Birds,” with its spare drum track, strings, piano and overdubbed vocals personifies the overall theme, though maybe its best song is “Tommorrow (sic) at the Door,” with slide guitar enhancing its dark imagery. “I hope she’s okay,” is whispered by a woman’s voice as the song fades away, a subtle but gorgeous touch. The lone cover—“Friday I’m in Love,” originally performed by the Cure—succeeds in turning a bright pop tune into an intimate and deep tale of love. Like Sparklehorse, Davis’ music is sparse and lovely, using subtle rhythms to carry the many layers found in the songs.—Crispin Kott
"Jules Shear. Immediately. Not quite exact, but shimmeringly close. There's a flavor in the voice. And it's the first thing you think of when Seth Davis begins to sing. Jules Shear. As Davis's third and latest disc, Morning Songs, unfurls, you being to think even more of Shear. How could that be a bad thing? It's not just the voice. It's the casual precision, the arc of melody, the weight of lyric. None of this means that Davis is an imitator, a monkey on Shear's stick. I don't even know that he's heard of Shear. But there is a shared economy, and it's a delightful place to start.
"A Softer Place to Land" opens the disc with a folk rock lilt and perhaps the album's weakest set of lyrics. But the forced hook doesn't prevent you from hitting repeat. Others, better, follow- the haunting waltz "Flannel and Blue (Laura's Song)," the relentlessly groovy "Kim," and the remarkable "Whole Life Crisis"- amplifying Davis's simple qualities. He has a keen way with both story and telling. Aimee Mann's "Mr. Harris," for example, is sung from a new point of view, not just male, but two steps to the side. Sonically, it's less baroque and little less catchy. But there's an earthiness that's worth the trade. A Queen's native, Davis's roots stretch back to the East Village anti-folk haunts of the early 90's, and that conflict- between writing, rocking, and respecting roots- is still playing out in the metaphorical grooves of Morning Songs.