Davie Gayle

If Emmylou Harris had ever decided to rock out in her career, then the result would have sounded something like Davie Gayle’s latest record, “Amber In The Clay.” With songs ranging from country to contemporary ballads, Gayle takes us for a trip down Americana lane and does not disappoint. Her pristine country vocals sound wonderful and emulate classic Dolly Parton, but still have an original feel to it. You can hear Gayle’s sweet voice on songs like “Get Me” and “You Don’t Say.” Looking for the Americana feel? Look no further than the title track as it is a perfect listen for anyone who enjoyed Robert Plant/Alison Krauss’s disc (“Raising Sand”). There are also some fine pedal steel guitar moments on this record, as heard on “3:09.” If you are looking for that timeless female country vocal tone with a little rock ‘n’ roll under it, then this Davie Gayle’s “Amber In The Clay” is for you. -Shaun H. and the RadioIndy.com Reviewer Team


POSTED BY: Eric Lawrence
ON: 28 Feb 2009 09:03 PM





- -Shaun H. and the RadioIndy.com Reviewer Team

June 11, 2009 - Davie Gayle wins a GrINDIE Award from Radioindy.com.

In keeping with the recent Grammy Awards, Radioindy is
pleased to present our Best Artists and Songs here at Radioindy.com. We call it the "GrINDIEtm" Awards!

As the big labels have celebrated their annual Grammy Awards ceremony, RadioIndy.com is proud to present this year's Grindie award selections for best indie CD's of the year.
- RadioIndy.com

The Country Startpage proudly promotes Davie Gayle - Amber in the Clay, an Alt. Country Americana pearl. - The Country Startpage

"Gayle captures the realism of heartbreak in songs such as “3:09” and “Buried Alive” with such authenticity that it hits home like the diary entry you never got around to writing yourself."

-Michael Coyle, Country Interviews Online - Country Interviews Online

...There's a few things that fascinate me about Davie. First, she is simply an amazing songwriter with the ability to write and perform in various styles. On her CD she's runs the gamut from blues to bluegrass, traditional country to rock. At times her voice seems to take me back to a fifties style of country singing and other times it's closer to Bonnie Raitt . Last month when I finally got to see her do a set at Flour Fusion along with Michael on guitar and fiddle player David Strother, it was fine enough to leave me scratching my head and wondering why she isn't more well known.


http://www.nodepression.com/profiles/blogs/say-hi-to-davie-gayle-and-the - Easy Ed

In the opening, and title track "Amber In The Clay" Davie Gayle tells the true story about a fossil collector who found amber in an old claypit in Sayreville, New Jersey, close to place she was born. Amber is fossilized resin from trees dating back to the time of the dinosaurs, with enclosed insects which lived ninety million years ago, long before the first humans lived on earth. So much for the science and history lesson, let’s have a music lesson now.
With Davie, the music, country in particular was in the blood. Her father played in a country band and passed on his love for music to his four children. Together with her brother Michael, she started under the name "The Gayles", and they soon moved to Southern California, the center of country rock. Soon Michael got into producing and sound engineering and formed his own label, while Davie focused on songwriting. She writes songs telling stories about the area she grew up in, New Jersey, seen through the eyes of a Californian. Her voice recalls the great singers of more traditional country and country rock, like Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton, but she added a more bluesy touch and introduced some rock guitar influences. She likes to call her own music "Yin and Yang with a Twang" and you can't describe it any better than that.
"Tangletown" and "You Don't Say" are the songs which are the favorites of the Rootstime crew, mostly because they have a bluesy approach, certainly in the guitar playing. Brother Michael helps out on guitar, added some great backing vocals, but most importantly, he produced this great CD. On other tracks, like "Doghouse Flowers" the sound is more traditional, country with pedal steel and fiddle, a song with a real Nashville touch which will certainly appeal to fans of Dolly Parton.
We, at Rootstime, are delighted to read that Davie is already working on a new release which will focus some more on her bluesy side. We love those songs and are looking forward already to hear that next release. Songs like "Rockabilly Bug" and the more alternative country track, "Sunny Side Cafe" with some nice accordion by Ron Calese. Davie is a busy person, we notice, because besides that new CD, she will be working with Michael and her two sisters under the name "Sweet Asylum" and will release a CD called "Sister Serenade" later this year. Davie will have lots of work for the rest of the year. To use her own words, she will have to "Dig A Little Deeper".
-Ronny Bervoets, Rootstime.be
www.rootstime.be

- Rootstime.be

April 26, 2009 - Los Angeles-based Davie Gayle grew up on country music in New Jersey, where her father was a guitarist in a country band. Her entire family was musical, and Gayle eventually formed a duo with her brother (The Gayles). After moving to LA, Michael began his own label and went into production while Davie threw herself into songwriting and performing. Davie Gayle’s debut solo album, Amber In The Clay, is a distinct and poignant collection of songs drawn from her own life experiences. Comparisons to Emmylou Harris, Patty Loveless and Lucinda Williams are understandable, but Gayle’s point of view as a songwriter is practically unique.

Amber In The Clay opens with the title track, a story song paralleling a scientist who finds the building blocks of life stored in the earth and a person of significance who helps a broken or lost person rebuild their life. The song has a classic country tragic sound while moving toward a positive message. Get Me is a great roadhouse country tune that sounds like it should be a hit on the country charts. If Shania or someone of that ilk recorded this song you'd hear it everywhere, and Gayle is a much better vocalist. 3:09 finds Gayle giving a classic country performance in a voice that mixes her sweet tone and just the right dose of bittersweet sorrow. Channel To You takes more to the pop side of the scale with some R&B and Gospel influence in one of the more daring tracks on the disc.

Roundabout is one of the best story songs I've heard in some time, culminating in a positive message that parallels Robert Frost's Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening. Gayle's sweet, honest voice is the perfect instrument to deliver this song, and she deserves real attention for this one. You Don't Say is a country flavored blues rocker ala Bonnie Raitt with an innate pop sensibility that will turn a lot of heads. Doghouse Flowers lets Gayle rip it up a little; this one will be a particular favorite of the ladies. Rockabilly Bug will have you reaching for your dancing shoes and cowboy hats.

Amber In The Clay is a pleasant surprise, hitting the high points of country music without succumbing to the Top-20 Country milieu that pervades commercial radio. Davie Gayle has a tremendous voice mixing sweetness with just a hint of mischief, and the arrangements here are out of sight. Amber In The Clay is music you need to hear; a potential breakout disc.

-Wildy Haskell, Wildy's World
Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)


http://wildysworld.blogspot.com/2009/04/review-davie-gayle-amber-in-clay.html

- Wildy's World

Clearly, in the case of Davie Gayle, you can take the girl out of the city but you can’t take the country music out of the city girl. Born and raised in New Jersey, she grew up on a diet of country music, courtesy of her guitar playing, country and western band member father. However, the kind of country that Davie Gayle plays can’t be taught, it is sheer, raw, natural talent that fuels AMBER IN THE CLAY. And it’s when she stays closest to country’s roots that she’s at her best on this album. Doghouse Flowers has the same wildness of spirit that was the hallmark of Emmylou Harris in her Hot Band prime. Gayle also shares other qualities with Harris, she has the same ability to cut through a song like a knife through butter and she can break your heart with Buried Alive and 3:09, make it soar again with Get Me and then get your feet stompin’ with Rockabilly Bug. In its own sweet way this album is a bit of a rollercoaster, albeit a gentle one. What’s more, she can do what all great country artists can, make you yearn for places you’ve never been, or are likely to go, Sunnyside Café and Roundabout are those small, personal moments that can make an album shine.

The love of country-rock that saw Gayle and her brother Michael leave New Jersey for Southern California is strong. The title track is a thoughtful and winding song, with depths not often found while Get Me is a definite crowd-pleaser. However, Channel To You is a bit of a fish out of water, Gayle takes the song just a touch too far along the road towards commercial pop for it to sit completely comfortably. However, any blemishes are minor and quickly forgotten as the album drives relentlessly on. AMBER IN THE CLAY may be one of those gems that don’t make fortunes but Davie Gayle will be able to look back at it with a justified sense of pride. -MM

www.myspace.com/daviegayle

**** 4 stars
Maverick Country Magazine
June 2009 Issue - pg. 71 - Maverick Country Magazine