Customer Reviews

Game Preserve

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The second solo album by this gentle voiced, country-tinged SF Bay Area retroist takes a step back from the more hook-laden pop of his first disc, and opts for a more mediative, reflective style. Davenport's work recalls the best of the rambling early '70s country rock/AOR sound, bringing to mind the likes of Gerry Rafferty, George Harrison, Bread, Badfinger, the softer side of Pretty Things, and even melodic boogie-rockers like Joe Cocker, when Bart starts to rock out a little bit. Some folks may take my comments as a slam, but they're not. The 'Seventies actually had a lot to offer, not the least of which was the easygoing mix of styles -- particularly jazz, soul, folk and country -- into an eclectic rock mix... This sleek experimentalism is only now really being embraced by today's indie scene, and Davenport is a fine example of the new reexamination of the once-uncool Me Decade.

The genius of Bart is that he loves the music. His taste is eclectic (ringing Spanish guitars, Bachrach /CSNandY/LoveSong/Rascals Harmony/Morricone, Georgie Fame vocals) and yet distinctively Bart. Unlike , say, Lenny Kravitz, the "spot the influence" game is quickly evaporated by the beauty of the tunes and the wit and wisdom of the lyrics ( "Intertwine" the final track stands out)which combine Tom Wolfe pop culture observations ("...I could never be you no matter how many Snickers Bars I eat..") to a winsome Jonie Mitchell-esque , elegiac melancholy. Bart is fearless, he takes his Bass Clarinet voice DEEP into soulful territory without ambivalence. There is sincerity , not the "look at me ma , I being hip" kitsch of Beck at his self indulgent worst. Bart has the chops- rooted in the unsurpassed Mod ( yes I said it) blues of Oakland,California's finest, The Loved Ones.That great unheralded groups fingerprints are all over this offering- Xan McCurdy (now of Cake) has such a distinctive playing style that you can spot his brilliance shimmering across the tracks, the steady backbeat and flourishes of the inimitable John Kent- these guys are genius in their own right-These guys are dyed in the wool Mod. True Mod; with its roots heavily rooted in US Blues and Soul morphed into Heavy Rock ( such as Humble Pie and The Faces) while other elements branched into Disco /funk of Rod Stewarts ( Do You Think I'm Sexy? era) and the murky combo of BOTH genres in the "Some Girls" heyday of The Rolling Stones- and Bart ties it all together in the Singer Songwriter genre. If the Loved Ones were 1966 Bart is somewhere in the Ford Administration with this offering- The influence of Terry Jacks ("..We had Joy we had Fun we had ) Seasons in the Sun" and the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid era of Bachrach as well as Miles Davis "Sketches of Spain" are here in equal parts with the music any red blooded American loves; the Edwin Hawkins Singers early '70s hit "Oh Happy Day" ? Enjoy Shirley Caesar's soulful vocals? Sly and the Family Stone's incomparable orchestration? Al Green?Oaklands own Andre' Crouch? The Watts 110th street Band? Then THIS is for YOU! Gorgeous Harmony, NO synthetic "Britney" beats to mess up the purity of the Hammond organ's warm tones- Oh its an awesome record. Yes, Bart has "matured" but that statement seems to connote that all that which went before was somehow incomplete - and that would be misleading- one can LOVE the 'Rubber Soul' album and still get 'Wings Over America' as a latter work of maturity without diminishing the wonder of the former- this is music to listen to- to pay attention to the message- the soulful vocals and yes, the words . And yet, it is music to read Russel Kirk or Francis Schaeefers "How Shall We Then Live" to and actually dig where those great authors are coming from-Bart's music exemplifies it! Bart loves the music and so will you- FRANK

Boy, what a different sound. Like a throwback. Very uncluttered and stripped down. Reminding me of early Paul Simon or Bill Gable's There Were Signs CD from 1989. Certainly refreshing and catchy enough for many repeated listenings without growing tiresome. I hope he doesnt succumb to the pressure of going with more of a ROCK/MODERN sound in the future like so many eventually do. ENJOY!!!

If soft is the new loud, then Bart Davenport is the Ted Nugent of Indie Pop. Like the Nuge, he started as a '60s garage rocker (check out Bart's own Amboy Dukes, the Loved Ones), moved on to some funky stuff (Kinetics = Free For All) and, now, finally, has brought it all back home with some Cal Jam 2-style music for lovers. This album is like staring through the dirty window of a Greyhound bus, as the sun sets over the Golden Gate Bridge, while you think about your friend you left behind. Fans of Paul McCartney, Van Morrison, Nick Drake, and Eric Carmen will find a new troubadour to call their own. Also great for kids!

I'm just a middle-aged woman who loves music, particularly the music of Nick Drake, Pentangle, and many others. Davenport's music is remarkably eclectic, and smooth, deep, and musical. He seems to be a major talent. Don't miss this CD.

I absoulutely love this ALBUM for ALL of the reasons that I abhor nearly ALL of the tripe foisted upon us by a mass mentality serving up a sterilized concoction of guttural wailings and hyper-synthetic renditions of 'jibber-jabber.' Unlike most muscians hip to "..what you wore last night at a show.." Mr. Davenport doesn't merely cast up incompletely digested worms of Mom's record collection, but slips you a succulent dish of true originality rooted in soul. Soul of a distinctly American bent. I'm not talkin'bout soul as in strictly 'black r&b-type soul,' but music that is of OUR AMERICAN SOUL. As an earlier reviewer stated, he is a dyed in the wool MOD. That is not to say that he is putting around in parka on a P200e, he IS a beautifully melodic voice in a musical sea of over distorted, computer generated mediocrity hatched from the lowest common denominator ($$$). 'Game Preserve' does not just slice up all that is retro and serve up super-mega-plex pie available on every corner strip mall, but lays you down in uncle Larry's deep shag while savoring Mom's homemade holiday de-lovelies and dreaming of "..runnin' to catch a pass." And, all is good.