Musicians in New Orleans have a special way of treating the blues and classic R&B, sometimes tending toward a more melodic and smooth approach. For a prime example, just think of Antoine “Fats” Domino, a rock ’n’ roll pioneer whose long string of audience-pleasing hits relied heavily on sweetness and rhythmic subtlety.

Which brings us to the subject of J.B. Davis, a veteran New Orleans performer born and raised along the Gulf Coast in Mobile, Alabama, and Moss Point, Mississippi, where the emphasis is on a musical approach that matches the soft, gentle breezes blowing off Gulf Coast waters.

Reworking a dozen tunes familiar to hardcore blues and R&B fans, Davis gives each one its own soul-satisfying treatment, showcasing his smooth-as-silk vocals with understated-but-clearly-rocking band arrangements.

It’s no accident, therefore, that this self-taught singer and keyboard player would use a gently swaying Fats Domino hit, “Walking to New Orleans,” as his title tune. And to vary the pace, that he would turn just as easily to the fast shuffle rhythm and B.B. King single-string guitar lines that accompany “Every Day I Have the Blues,” or the mambo-blues beat and fuzz-toned guitar lead that make the Ray Charles hit “Unchain My Heart” an unmistakable standout.

But all this doesn’t mean he can’t turn up the temperature when he so desires. Check out the smoldering back-up to the opening track, “Little Red Rooster,” with its blistering slide-guitar riffs and solo. Or listen to the way he turns familiar blues like “St. James Infirmary” and “House of the Rising Sun” into dramatic and near-romantic ballads.

No matter what he sings, J.B. Davis has a unique take on the blues and classic R&B that’s sure to have you kickin’ back in sweet relaxation and pure musical enjoyment.