Title - What Happens Next
Artist - Davy Knowles
For those unaware, on his aptly-titled Provogue Records’ debut, What Happens Next (out October 22nd, 2001), roots singer-songwriter and guitarist Davy Knowles boldly steps forward with timeless and cohesive songwriting; sleek modern production; and a lyrical, play-for-the-song guitar approach informed from soul, folk, rock, and blues.
The 12-song album is just as influenced by The Black Keys, Fantastic Negrito, Gary Clark Jr., as it is Muddy Waters, Junior Kimbrough, and R.L. Burnside.
“When it came time to record this album, it was all about supporting the songs as opposed to ‘how quickly I can get to the guitar solo’,” the Isle of Man-born, Chicago-based artist says laughing. “I’m not a purist, and the way for roots music to stay relevant is to adapt and progress.”
1. Light of the Moon
2. Heartbreak Or Nothing
3. Roll Me
4. Get Lucky
5. Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
6. One & the Same
7. Solid Ground
8. River
9. Side Show
10. Hell to Pay
11. Wake Me Up When The Nightmare Is Over
13. If I Ever Meet My Maker
On an album that resonates as a cohesive body of work rather than a collection of disparate songs, Knowles opens with the lusciously funky, soulful blues of Light of the Moon and the free flowing R&B of Heartbreak Or Nothing, before he takes the vibe down a notch for the countrified balladry of Roll Me, before we get more of his soul-drenched vocals on the drum-led, blues rock of Get Lucky, the lushly orchestrated balladry of Devil and the Deep Blue Sea and then comes the euphoric One & the Same.
Throughout the album, Knowles’ guitar playing is sublimely understated, never overpowering, never overwhelming, his rhythm work both deft and dynamic, perhaps none more so than on the foot-pounding R&B of Solid Ground and the melodic, mid-tempo balladry of River, which are in turn followed by the rocker Side Show, the smooth blues hipsway of Hell to Pay, the album rounding out on the resoundingly hopeful Wake Me Up When The Nightmare Is Over, closing (all too soon, in my humble opinion) on the beautiful acoustic ballad If I Ever Meet My Maker.
Produced by Eric Corne (John Mayall, Joe Walsh, Joe Bonamassa), What Happens Next is something of a departure from Knowles’s fired-up and reverent take on blues and Americana, featuring poetic songwriting and soulfully emotive vocals that steal the show.
The 12-song body of work offers forth a peaks-and-valleys album experience winding through brawny riffs, jazzy blues balladry, and vintage soul before concluding with one of Knowles’s most personal songs released to date.
Davy Knowles - Light Of The Moon (Official Lyric Video)
Davy Knowles - Roll Me (Official Lyric Video)
Official Purchase Links
www.DavyKnowles.com
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