my life//in medias res*

Review: Andy Davis - Fine China EP

January 27th, 2007 at 7:24 pm by sillyjoe (Music)

Andy Davis is another singer/songwriter guy in the company of the rest of Nashville’s younger generation of folks (I would say the generation below the Square Pegs…even though they’re probably all about the same age…they just haven’t been around as long) like Dave Barnes, Matt Wertz, Micah Dalton (who doesn’t really live in Nashville), Pete Schmidt, Rob Blackledge, Jon McLaughlin, Justin Rosolino, and the rest.

Andy is one of my faves of this group, mostly because of his voice…and his wicked sweet fedora.

Anyway, Andy just released a new EP called Fine China and as someone who claims to be a supporter of he and his peers, I figure it’s my duty to rep for him on here. The EP is great… with a lot fuller sound than his first album Thinks of Her, which was mostly stripped down (although still awesome). A couple of the songs even have a rockin’ feel to them…The ultimate standout is the title track, which is the 4th out of the 5 tracks on the EP…”Fine China” is a song I’ve heard Andy do in concert for a couple of years now, and have been hoping to hear a studio version…and it’s veerrry nice. I dig it. Andy supplies much of the instrumentation for the album, playing the piano, wurly, guitars, bass guitars, the moog, marimba, drums, loops, electric guitars, and putting in all of the vocals…the short EP is a taste of his talent…and I’m diggin’ on it.

Here’s a song by song analysis:

Track 1: “Good Life” - Starts off with the obligatory four count on the drum sticks, and then you think “Wait a second…this IS Andy Davis, right? His album is starting out with an electric guitar?” Like I said…the sound is fuller…Andy has grown as a musician and a producer…this is clear by the first song…you feel like you could hear this song at the beginning of a movie about a group of college friends. I picture Andy hanging out with his Nashville peers as I hear this one…great hook…great groove. The layering of the guitars and Andy’s piano/wurly combo is fun. My favorite line: “We struggle to pay rent, cause jeans are expensive/ Professional children, it’s just the way that we live.” Fun little breakdown at the end.

Track 2: “Earth and Venus” - Now this song takes us to familiar Andy Davis territory, starting with just his voice and piano. The song slowly builds with the percussion kicking in around the first chorus, and picking up as the second verse hits with Evan Weatherford’s guitars and Jordan Hester’s bass. Andy provides his own backing vocals, harmonizing with himself very well. This song displays what Andy has always seemed to do best, melodic choruses with a memorable hook. Another fun break-down/build-up at the end, with some catchy “ooohs” that I’ve been singing in my head all day today.

Track 3: “Chicago, City of Shoulders” - This tune takes it down a notch, though the whole EP has been pretty chilled out anyway. This one reminds me of “Brown Eyes” from Andy’s first record in the way he tells the story. Mat Linton, Andy’s drummer, makes the song for me with his work on the Rhodes (no drums on this one). This song actually FEELS like Chicago to me (even though I’ve never been there…heh). Trademark falsetto from Andy.

Track 4: “Fine China” - This is what I’ve been waiting for. As I said, I’ve been hearing Andy do this song in concert for a couple of years now, and have been chomping at the bit for a studio version…I’m used to hearing the song with only Andy’s piano and tapping his foot…so it’s good to hear a full version of the song with multiple instruments. The marimba fits PERFECTLY here. Probably the catchiest chorus hook Andy’s ever written…you can’t help but sing along to this one. The moog sounds great…the choice of instrumentation on this track is incredibly fun.

Track 5: “Amateurs” - Atmospheric is the first word I can think of for this song. The choice to use electric guitar on this song instead of acoustic is what makes it, I think. Anytime an artist uses that sustaining guitar sound, it raises the hair on my arms for some reason. Andy contributes some loops to this one, that sound great. I think live drums wouldn’t have provided the song with the same ambience it has. Evan Weatherford’s slide work is nice too, on this track. Great way to end the EP.

You can pick Fine China up at awarestore.com for six bucks (!!!!).