Craig Davis
Peoria, Arizona, United States | SELF
Music
Press
http://www.writteninmusic.com/pop/craig-davis-free-as-me/lang/en/ - Written in Music
Memphis is a city that has been known for its ability to house and produce incredible musical talent throughout its history. Memphis native, Craig Davis, is proving to be another rising star as he lights up Los Angeles this fall to record his solo debut album, Free as Me, at Ardent Studios.
Craig, previously lead vocalist for the self titled Craig Davis Band, had been dazzling Memphis music fans with his blue grass meets rock and roll sound in local venues such as the Flying Saucer Downtown and Swanky's. Known for providing a well balanced and upbeat set list, he is most loved for his personally crafted originals, such as favorites 'Arkansas' and 'Best of It.'
He is currently in LA writing songs for the soundtrack of Being Awesome Movie, which was filmed in Memphis. His debut album is set to release soon and is graced with three songs featuring Laura Rogers from the Secret Sisters. This album promises to be a great example of his musical talent and accomplishments.
Look for the release of Free as Me on iTunes on October 11, 2012! For more information on Craig or to listen to a sample of his incredible music, visit http://www.craigdavismusic.com/fr_home.cfm.
- Examiner
The debut release from Craig Davis, Free as Me, is another installment in a long line of recent albums that just makes me proud to be part of Memphis and the music scene surrounding the city. Right off the bat, there’s simply no way this sounds like a debut effort; it seems more like a project that an artist works towards, honing his songwriting and playing to get to this level of musicianship and technical excellence. As a reviewer, I like to find “the perfect word” to sum an album up, but I’m not sure a single word can do this recording justice. It takes about ten seconds to realize that you’re not dealing with a simple singer/songwriter project. These songs are beautifully filled out in a full band setting and incorporate a nice variety of styles and influences throughout. For example, the album’s opening track, “Lazy Day Lady,” draws an easy comparison to the heyday of The Band – a little bit of country, a little bit of folk, a dash of soul and a good, solid song that will hang in your head long after the first listen. Davis successfully uses this approach for many of the uptempo tracks presented here, including “Moonshine Kind” and the title cut. Some of the mastery exhibited by these songs didn’t show itself to me until repeated listens when I realized that these are great songs and are radio friendly without even a touch of sounding like “Davis was aiming for a hit single.” Well done! There’s a good solid representation of the quieter side of Davis’ abilities here as well. Again, good wisdom was shown on these tracks; they’re certainly not bare-bones style recordings, but they’re a little more laid back and allow the emotional content of the lyrics to take more of a center stage. “Arkansas,” for example, is on the surface a story of the girl back home, but also allows for an observation that after having been around and seen a lot, the singer has learned that sometimes what is home and what is familiar is still the best. Lyrically, a personal favorite is “Rat Race,” where Davis shares “Woke up in the afternoon, had my breakfast with a beer ‘cuz I was in a beer mood / I put my feet up on the coffee table and went back to sleep / I got some things that coulda got done, but I can waste a day better than anyone…” I appreciate writers who can say a lot with a few words, and “had my breakfast with a beer ‘cuz I was in a beer mood” sits really well. I know what you mean, my friend. As mentioned, both the engineering and production values on the album are top notch. I particularly appreciate the idea that nothing is ever overwhelming from a production point of view; things sound like they’re right where they belong. It never feels like anything was thrown into the mix because Davis wanted a bigger sound or felt the need to overpower the listener. The rollicking tracks are nicely crafted without overkill, and the more subtle pieces hold their mood and power with textures that hint and caress. There’s even a little gift of sorts within the album. The closing track, “Old Man’s Singin’ Voice” is a fine romp of a song that allows the band to cut it loose a bit behind another excellent lyric. It also clocks in at 14:06, ten minutes longer than any other piece on the disc. Why? Well, first, after the song finishes at a little over five minutes, there’s a beautiful, atmospheric guitar piece that follows for a couple minutes… then, surprise! An alternate version of the title track, a little more stripped down than the other version presented. Both versions are excellent; I can understand why Davis didn’t want to leave either one off the record. In the long run, you know the perfect word I’m looking for? Comfortable. This is a good, comfortable listen of an album. Davis doesn’t sound like a preacher or a lecturer, but rather like a pal who is fun to spend some time and swap some stories with. For my taste, the best songwriters are not crusaders, but journalists… observers, sharing what they experience and allowing the listener to make judgments on their own. Free as Me fits beautifully into that niche, and already has the feel of an album I’ll be able to enjoy for a long time. - www.YrDig.com
"...draws an easy comparison to the heyday of The Band – a little bit of country, a little bit of folk, a dash of soul and a good, solid song that will hang in your head long after the first listen. Free as Me already has the feel of an album I’ll be able to enjoy for a long time."
-Silver Michaels
- Yrdig.com
Discography
DRAIG CRAVIS - Ep - 2010
BLACK HOLE - Ep - 2011
ARKANSAS - Single - June 2012
BEST OF IT - Single - June 2012
FREE AS ME - LP - January 2013
Photos
Bio
Memphis, expansive country; a sound that pulls from Americana, blues, southern rock & roll, and jazz.
Four years ago Craig moved into a remote cabin on the Buffalo River on the outkirts of the smalltown of Lobelville, TN located between Memphis and Nashville. Craig sites this two month retreat from society as a formative period of reflection. The first ep "Draig Cravis" was recorded during this period with Craig's friend and fellow songwriter Aaron Raitierre as producer. After his time at the cabin, Craig moved back to his hometown of Memphis to make a living playing music and to hone his craft.
While he was forming a band Craig worked a retail job in a Memphis suburb for six months. Once the band had it's first steady paying gig he quit his job and spent the next three years playing bar gigs in the south east, creating a name for himself with his ability to entertain a wide variety of audiences.
During his time in Memphis Craig frequented all of the songwriter dives. The most influential of these was Neil's in midtown before it burned down. He would play weekly songwriter rounds with local legends such as Jeremy Stanfill, Dave Cousar, Grace Askew, Josh Cosby, and Richard Ford. He also hosted a weekly open mic at a local pub for two years. Craig found that Memphis has its own brand of country music.
The debut full length "Free as Me" was released in January of 2013 and features Laura Rogers of the Secret Sisters on three songs. The album was recorded at Ardent Studios and is gaining Craig fans across the U.S. and abroad. Silver Michael of YrDig.com reviewed the album:
"...draws an easy comparison to the heyday of The Band a little bit of country, a little bit of folk, a dash of soul and a good, solid song that will hang in your head long after the first listen."
Craig recently began to feel complacent as the "corner bar band."
Since that realization Craig has all but stopped playing his familiar rounds. He spent the last year living out of a back pack following his unpredictable muse. In a similar leap out of day to day life as he made to the cabin years ago, Craig drove out to the west coast last August. He planned to work on the independent film "Being Awesome," and says he thought of the the trip as a way to broaden his perspective and contemplate the world and his place in it as an artist. Since his return to the south Craig has been writing songs that express a broad array of ideas, emotions, and intuitions in an eloquent and organic way.
A comfortable stage presence paired with Craig's well-crafted songs and choice covers add up to a fun, captivating live show whether he is with his band or performing solo. Depending on the venue and event the show can range from mellow easy listening to all out, top of the lung full band jams. The show is custom fit to the situation.
Craig recently made the move to Nashville and is currently booking for the upcoming months.
He released his first Music video for the song "Arkansas" in 2012 and scored the film "Being Awesome," which will premiere September 4th, 2013 at Studio on the Square in Memphis, TN.
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