Customer Reviews

Moot Davis

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well, I don't know too much about country music, having been born and bred on rock and roll, but with the utterly contemptible state of popular music these days, I've been willing to try about anything. I read a little blurb about this one in the local newspaper recently, which stated that it was in the style of old "honky-tonk" music, and reminiscent of Hank Williams. Again, I don't know much about country, but I do know that Hank Williams was a star many years ago--before music turned to crap--and I liked the sound of the word "honky-tonk," so I decided to give this one a try.

Well, I'm here to tell you, this is great stuff. It's not honky-tonk the way I imagined it--I guess I was thinking of a more blues-oriented sound--it's country. Old-style country. Country I suspect the way it sounded forty years ago. The best way I can describe it would be to say that when the singer sings the word, "blues," he doesn't pronounce it, "blues," he pronounces is, "bleee-yews." The honky-tonk description probably has to do with the subject matter of these songs, which is mostly about cheating women, wine, whiskey, roadhouses and loneliness. There's even great song about a train.

The first thing you notice about this is the vocal. This guy has a very powerful, mature and confident voice. He really belts it out. And he sings in such a way that you can actually hear that he has a little tug of a grin at the corner of his mouth. In other words, he doesn't take himself too damn seriously. It's a bold performance, and although this is his first album, it's pretty clear that he has been around the block a few times.

The musicianship is uniformly great. There is guitar, bass and drum, of course, and most of the songs have a steel guitar and a fiddle in there. I think there's a banjo on a few of them too, and there's a terrific sax on "Last Train Home." You find that while a song is playing you can pick out just about any instrument to focus in on, and there will be something interesting going on. This, to me, has always been a definition of great music: it's not just one good musician and a bunch of hacks, it's a bunch of great musicians.

The songs are excellent; energetic and bouncy; clever and funny and sometimes wistful. There's no sap or corn or condescension or vanity here, it's all genuinely sincere. I shouldn't really compare this to other country music performers, because I'm just not too familiar with many of them, but if I had to I would say that he's like Steve Earle only more upbeat and less political.

This is really a great album. It just breaks my heart that although it has just barely been released, it's hardly made a ripple on Amazon and is already difficult to obtain. Why in the world can't the music industry promote good music?

Well, I don't know, but this assuredly is good music, great music in fact, and you can do your part to change this trend by buying the thing. You won't regret it.

Moot Davis is Hank Williams reborn with all new material. This CD is as entertaining as seeing him live, plus it has the advantage of a whole stable of great studio musicians creating that wonderful 50s country sound, rhythmic and wailing, that just jumps with the feeling of dusty roads, pickup trucks, starry summer nights, and county-line honkytonks.

New Jersey born Davis has a driving voice that drawls, yodels, and slides over notes, and you'd swear he was from deep in the heart of Texas. His songs are about the open road, wine and whiskey, lovesick yearning, busted relationships, and a hard-nosed realism unfazed by disappointed hopes. My only wish is that there were more songs on this CD. The last one comes around just too soon.

Hard core honky tonk at its best! From the opening track "Thick of It Now" 'til its closer "Stay Gone" this album rocks the way that all country music should. With his fine nasal delivery Moot Davis sounds not unlike Hank Williams senior. Production duties are superbly handled by Pete Anderson(Dwight Yoakam, Roy Orbison, etc.)who also plays brilliant, blister-busting guitar. Watch out Nashville there's a new tonker in town.

Are you looking for traditional hard core honky tonk country music? Then look no further than Moot Davis. The man can sing and write a country song like few others have achieved in this generation or a few of the previous ones.
The 10 song album was all written by Moot, who also plays rhythm guitar and does the vocals. Last Train Home gives one the feel of a foggy night in old New Orleans; Nothin' tells the tale of a misbehavin' man and his reward for bad behavior? Nothing!! Stay Gone is the story of a lover who just won't go away, even though she's no longer welcome. Whiskey Town will be featured in an upcoming Sandra Bullock film and there is not one bad song to be heard in the bunch.
Additional musicians include Pete Anderson, who also did the arrangments and producing; Skip Edwards, Gary Morse, Don Heffington and background vocals by Jonathon Clark.
This gem from Little Dog Records is a must have for anyone who enjoys real country music.

I found Moot Davis by accident surfing the web; it was as though I struck gold! I am a die-hard country music fan from way back, I grew up on it as a child. However, I stopped listening to country music radio stations a long time ago. I became fed up with the crap Nashville was producing. I have a stack of old favorite CD's I listen to over and over. Moot is now on the top of that stack!

Moot is real country music. He is what is what country music should be! Buy his CD, it is money well spent; you wont be sorry.

Now, this isn't the Tim McGraw-Faith Hill crap coming out of Trashville. This is honest-to-God country, written and sung from the heart by a promising new talent whose delivery is Hank Williams by way of Bakersfield.
Its newcomers like this that give true believers like me hope that there's life beyond Music Row.

When I listen to this record I get sad. Really sad. Sad that thousands of Americans buy into the commercial Nashville garbage masquerading as country music now days. Moot Davis, along with a small selection of colleagues, are carrying the batton once passed by Hank Williams I, Carl Perkins, Tennessee Ernie Ford, etc.

Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney, and Garth Brooks should be ashamed of themselves for even trying.

Buy this record and listen to it BEFORE sending me your hate mail. If you do, you'll thank me instead.

If you like Buck, Hank & Merle, you'll love Moot Davis. He plays real country music, and writes songs that feel like instant country classics. He lends his own unique voice and style however. I'm hoping we see a lot more of Moot in the future. This is a great album --- pick it up !

I did not know this artist until I heard it on the Hills Have Eyes Soundtrack. I usually like country music but I am not a fan.
I felt the need to buy the 2 Moot Davis albums and I do not regret this !

This is great, has a wonderful country sound. Can't wait until the next one.