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.