In his long career as a singer/songwriter, soul crooner, mod rocker, and soft rock disciple, Bart Davenport has made enough left turns to confuse even the most adept navigators. One constant in each sonic incarnation is his honey-sweetened vocals, a sure-handed way with a gentle melody, and the skill required to give each arrangement just the right amount of prettying up without overdoing it. Episodes covers somewhat familiar ground, that of the folky singer/songwriter, and adds a few twists. The album is dotted with Baroque strings, bursts of Latin percussion, lush vocal harmonies, and loads of 12-string-guitar jangle; they fill the arrangements to the halfway point, leaving plenty of space for Davenport's voice. He's in fine form as usual, operating the sweet spot between full-throated belting and half-awake crooning. This style definitely suits him well on a track like "Easy Listeners," which has a swaying bossa nova rhythm and late-night atmosphere, or the '50s pop-leaning "Wireless Moon." Holding back a little lets the listener curl up next to him peacefully, which turns out once again to be a nice place to spend some time. The cuts that bump up the energy a bit work just as well. Especially since Davenport doesn't oversell anything, letting jingling guitars carry the emotional weight (the country-rockish "All Dressed in Rain," the paisley underground-friendly "Still Life") and sometimes even the melody entirely, as on the surf noir instrumental "99 Forever." The poppiest, most memorable song on the album, "It's You," is still pretty relaxed, preferring to sneak the sun-drenched chorus in like a sideways glance. After a couple albums where Davenport added some shiny touches of sophistication to the production, it's nice to hear him back in a more intimate setting that's reminiscent of his early work, while still sounding like he's (gently) breaking new sonic ground.
© Tim Sendra /TiVo