Dyer Davis – Kiss The Ring
Dyer Davis channels some high-octane blues fumes in his repertoire from vintage masterful rollicking blues artists that some may not remember. There’s a little of the early J. Geils Band in there mixed with Duster Bennett finesse. There’s a lot of his credible performance style to keep the originality fresh.
Davis has well-balanced vocal energy & his arrangements on both “Ain’t Lyin’” & “Pass It Over” are musically fiery, invigorating, & not the juke joint type of blues that’s often emulated by young artists with growling voices & spark-spitting guitars.
Despite a few missteps lyrically, there’s a lot to like in this showcase. The musicianship is sharp throughout, & it’s diversified with some acoustic swipes. Dyer (vocals/guitar) has some success already with this type of blues-rock & it’s evident on this album as well. There are 10 passionate osculation’s to his self-produced Kiss The Ring (Drops June 13/Big Wing Records/35:24).
There’s a good quart of Southern blues rock generously spread over Dyer’s gourmet blend of blues. I like that he isn’t drenched in following too many of the blues cliches. Even some of the guitar solos are from another bottle (“Kiss The Ring”), which makes it all the more exciting to listen to.
Dyer smartly adds a few electrifying blues tunes composed & performed in a more mainstream field to attract the general audience. That comes with “Damned” with its hook-laden blues tribulations that’s attractive & tasty in the genre. Catchy as hell.
In some aspects, Dyer even succeeds in producing some blues (“Brackish Water”) that is planted deeper into an Allman Brothers brew. That provides a dependable Southern blues pound & guitar lick strung together like a line of trout hung in a tree & just out of reach of smaller animals.
The trick may be that Dyer has a workable arrangement to his tunes rather than it sounding like he’s just playing off the top of his soul. As rough as Dyer’s voice can get, his regular pensive ballad voice is also a good listen. Evident on the slower “Have Mercy” is delightful. While “Baby” mixes up the pensive with the power, effectively.
Highlights – “Ain’t Lyin,’” “Pass It Over,” “Kiss The Ring,” “Damned,” “Brackish Water,” “Have Mercy” & “Baby.”
Musicians – Will Weiner (bass/vocals), David Weatherspoon (drums/percussion) & Warren Beck (keys/vocals).
Color image courtesy of Dyer’s Bandcamp site. CD @ Bandcamp & https://www.dyerdavismusic.com/
Enjoy our previous coverage here: Song Premiere: Dyer Davis “Have Mercy”