Self-released

****1/2

When programmed beats and pop-influenced country is the sound of the moment, Davisson Brothers Band’s heartland Appalachian country-rock songs, with lead singer Donnie Davisson’s growling twang-filled voice front-and-centre, feel muscular, nostalgic and honest. From the moment he opens his mouth, he’s got you. To simply call his voice deep or gruff doesn’t do it justice. What emanates from Donnie’s vocal cords is a timeless reverberation, one that is soaked in the long, labouring days of a West Virginia mountain life; the voice not of a god, but of a man working day in and day out to leave the world in a bit better shape than it once was. Some critics and fans, and even American roots musicians themselves, continue to perpetuate notions of authentic country musical expression. If you’ve ever pondered over exactly what that authenticity sounds like, just give a listen to this superb, ground-breaking album. Each track has something unexpected up its sleeve; this is country songwriting at its finest. Working with sympathetic producers Brent Cobb and David ‘Ferg’ Ferguson and collaborating with songwriters such as Pat McLaughlin, Rob McCoury, Ronnie Bowman, Lindsay Lou, Paul McDonald, Ben Chapman and Channing Wilson, the people in their songs are mostly weary and struggling. Steeped in a lifetime of stories, a reconnaissance of one’s homeland, and constant rediscovery, Donnie and his bandmates parse their experiences and memories to tell vivid stories about growing up and living in rural West Virginia, their travels and dreams; lives filled with people and scenery chronicled in great detail.

In addition to Donnie on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, the band comprises brother Chris Davisson (lead guitar, harmony vocals), their nephew Gerrod Bee (bass, harmony vocals) and life-long family friend Aaron Regester (drums). For this third album, recorded at Nashville’s famous Cowboy Arms Hotel And Recording Spa, they are joined by an impressive crew of guest singers and musicians, including Tim O’Brien, Rob McCoury, Stuart Duncan, Leftover Salmon’s Vince Herman, Ronnie Bowman, Kyle Tuttle, Lindsay Lou, Russ Pahl, Dave Roe, Shad Cobb and Mike Rojas.Donnie’s twang-filled voice juicily wraps itself around rich, lyrical, wild, spiritual imagery in Appalachian Breeze, reminding me vocally of country legend Vernon Oxford. Through and through, he challenges the notion that city life is the right life, as Stuart Duncan’s fiddle, Tim O’Brien’s mandolin and Matt Comb’s old-time banjo take you right onto that front porch following a hike through a misty, mountainside Appalachian forest. Pure country catharsis that perfectly captures the intersection of nostalgia euphoria and raw emotional honesty. 

They turn to bluegrass for She Ain’t Comin’ Back, using a train for the regretful tale of a romance that’s run its course. The heaviness of the drumbeats crashing up against the more organic instrumentation of fiddle, banjo and pedal steel and the rawness of his voice, makes the whole thing bigger and more raucous than Monroe would’ve ever contemplated. Classic country-pop-infused elixir runs through the romantic Cross My Heart, Donnie’s hefty vocal seems only more urgent in this subdued setting, evoking the raw desire that accompanies an enduring relationship with Russ Pahl providing the velvety pedal steel that swirls in and around the sensitive arrangement. The music tends to easily engage the listener, whether it’s the easy fiddle and mandolin-fueled ramble shared in their revival of Rodney Crowell’s Long Hard Ramble---one of three outside songs—or the fiddle-driven Life On Fire. The latter is an undemanding mid-tempo number that acknowledges struggle and confusion but offers comfort and presence of a working man reflecting on a life well-lived. The instrumentation is flawless throughout and the music has pure authentic country moments, but this band bounces between styles, not so much concerned with any one genre textbook, which is what makes this record rather special. 

www.davissonbrothersband.com

April 2023