John Paul Davis

Micro Reviews

Begun as a series of posts on BlueSky, these are 300 character max reviews of albums I enjoy. I post them here & they are promulgated to BlueSky.

  1. An everyman's lament at the state of the world - war, racism, poverty, climate change, set to deft, fervant melodies against a symphonic backdrop of daring arrangements.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  2. Gritty & groovy, boisterous & bluesy, lively & funky, showcasing Saadiq's tight songwriting & ear for a great hook.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  3. This quartet interact flawlessly, almost telepathically. Melodic, effortless solos, impeccable timing. The art that hides the art. A pure delight.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  4. Shapeshifting arrangements of acoustic guitars over warm synths bloom into magnificence just as it seems they'll fall apart, much like the album's meditations on love, anxiety & loss.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  5. More melodic, sometimes anthemic, the band are cohesive, expressive & exquisite on every track. More reflective in places, while sacrificing none of their fire.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  6. Working class stories, probing protest songs & contemplations of faith & the American dream set to smoky, bluesy, rocking tunes by a tight, world-class band. Still timely, 40 years later.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  7. Graceful evocative piano, perfect chord progressions, luxurious horns, cadent, swaying melodies.

    Listen to the album on Bandcamp

  8. Endlessly inventive arrangements, operatic in scope, these songs celebrate the birth of a child & new love with idiosyncratic brainy lyrics.

    Listen to the album on Bandcamp

  9. Rainy, psychedelic, haunted, questioning, questing songs, lushly-arranged, tenderly sung.

    Listen to the album on Bandcamp

  10. Vibrant arrangements & spectacular melodies support the reflective, pastoral lyrics that meditate on aging, longing & love.

    Listen to the album on Bandcamp

  11. The band cements their longevity with these finely-crafted, mature tunes that retain all their early-career energy. Searing guitars, spidery bass, thundering drums & a whole lot of heart.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  12. Hassell defies expectations of what sounds a trumpet can make, gliding, soaring, soothing over polyrhythms, synth pads & stuttering pulsing bass lines. Brian Eno & Michael Brook sit in on some songs.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  13. His first with a full band, exploring themes central to his 55 year career: spirituality, love, progressive politics. Lush arrangements, tender melodies & his intricate guitar picking abound.

    Listen to the album on Bandcamp

  14. Adroit & lively lyricism set to compelling, dynamic melodies over mostly solo acoustic guitar played energetically.

    Listen to the album on Bandcamp

  15. Without deviating from their warm melange of soul, R&B, disco & hip-hop Jungle expand their sonic palette for a richer, more spacious sound.

    Listen to the album on Bandcamp

  16. Groovy, skittery percussion & funky basslines over string ensembles as Byrne's quirky, metaphoric lyrics capture the paranoias & anxieties of post-9/11 America.

    Listen to the album on Bandcamp

  17. Washington's spacious, glimmering electric funk never looses its way, thanks in large part to bassist Louis Johnson's nimble grooves & Washington's always-ascending soprano sax.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  18. Soulful & spare, this album of mostly ballads evokes the almost monastic 3 year period Rollins spent alone, honing his technique by playing on the Williamsburg Bridge.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  19. 25 years in, the indie band delivers a brooding collection of songs that sound like soundtracks to films that don't exist. Gritty, rapturous, cutting, this quiet music should be played loud.

    Listen to the album on Bandcamp

  20. The Dublin rock band expands their sound while staying true to the elements that made their first 2 albums so compelling. Still hard to believe these lads are 25 & under given how well they write & play.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  21. Breakup songs that celebrate moving away from unhealthy love & find joy in the music itself which ranges from R&B, soul, psychedelia, rock & jazz that comes together as a unified whole guided by Howard's genius.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  22. Gabriel fronts an all-star cast of musicians from around the world, blending alt-rock & subtle electronica to house his plaintive, incisive, musing explorations of love, grief, reconciliation & healing.

    Listen to the album on Bandcamp

  23. The band evolves their alt-country Mexo-Americana, focusing here on intimate examinations of love & self-exploration. Fetching melodies & disarming, quietly poetic lyrics, tenderly sung.

    Listen to the album on Bandcamp

  24. The quartet Redman assembled for his solo debut reunites 25 years later. 4 giants of contemporary jazz deliver a set of lively, masterful interplay, deeply felt.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  25. Which sets previously-unheard lyrics of Woody Guthrie's to music written by Bragg & Wilco. Vibrant glittering folk-rock with infectious melodies highlighting Guthrie's still-applicable fiery politics.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  26. Their most recent, full of winding post-prog song structures, big satisfying riffs, soaring vocals, mystical contemplative lyrics, thundering drums. The godfathers of emo made the Platonic ideal of area rock records.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  27. A majestic, expressive & expansive set that finds the band at its finest. Simultaneously uplifting & daring. Wordless hymns of boundless love & hope. Sunday morning on Saturday night.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  28. Layers of cozy, textured analog synths & Jenn Wasner's fuzzy indie-rock guitar licks foreground her warm, inviting singing on an album that explores the twin pulls of relationships & artistic work.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  29. A love-letter to his family & celebration of his Latine heritage. Synth-driven avant-pop that sounds wholly original backs his soft, tender singing & joyous, evocative bilingual lyrics.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  30. Percussive acoustic guitar, minimalist beats, occasional piano & a solid spine of bass, as Doughty explores love & sobriety with his Beat-poetic lyrics, sing-rapping & gift for hooky melodies.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  31. Their 2nd as a trio. Moody, dreamy, introspective, it blends daring & gorgeous electronics with Buck's jangly riffs & Stipe's soaring melodies. An album that grew on me, now one of my favorites by this band.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  32. Shimmery orchestral folk-rock with intricate arrangements, unusual song structures & poetic lyrics on the need for love & the difficulties in loving & being loved. Case's singing is seductive & powerful.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  33. Angular, funky, melodic improvised tunes highlight both their technical mastery & emotional sensitivity & Mehldau's Beat-poetry style spoken word. Pushes the envelope of what jazz can be.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  34. Dynamic, genre-bending folk-jazz driven by musical curiosity reveling in the joy of discovery, all supporting Aftab's versatile crooning, which is simultaneously tender & passionate.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  35. The 2 masters recorded versions of their own songs with a quartet. Lyrical, playful, & dynamic. Everything you hope for from a record called Duke Ellington & John Coltrane.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  36. his 1957 comeback album with Miles Davis's band at the time. He struggled with addiction, was in & out of prison. His wife arranged the session & he showed up surprised. 5 hours later this brilliant record existed.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  37. I have to "develop" in Webflow this morning, so I'm listening to this classic. They shake off the constrictions of "nu metal" & forge their own unique daring sound. Aggressive riffs over gorgeous soundscapes; melodic soulful vocals.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  38. Infectious, groovy, funky, sublime, melodic & sometimes delightfully weird, this double album more than lives up to the promise of its title.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  39. The album finds him paring back the lush arrangements to focus on the songwriting, which is magnificent & sorrowful. Minimalism blended with orchestral soul gives room for aching anthemic melodies & heartbreak.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  40. In which they expand their sonic palette & songwriter John Baizley unlocks the versatility & power of his voice (writing & singing). Infectious riffs; beautiful playing by a band discovering their potential.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  41. A left turn for him, from straightforward jazz, in which he blends pop, rock and chamber music elements with assistance from producer Jon Brion. The gorgeous, moody & daring first act of his evolution.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  42. Folk rock sometimes layered with elements of trap, indie rock, & ambient over gorgeous melodies. Incisive poetic lyrics examine the impact of smartphones on our love lives, politics & art.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  43. A dystopian, agitated, restless but rewarding creative leap showcasing Grian Chattan's growing & imaginative ability in both singing and writing. The band charts new sonic territory while remaining true to their sound.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  44. A sometimes dreamy, sometimes joyous genre-blurring collection that is simultaneously earthbound & ascending. Lush rootsy, bluesy layers beneath her endlessly versatile expressive voice.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  45. The post-punk band expand their sound with the help of Kenny Beats & Nigel Godrich, adding more experimental soundscapes & beautiful melodies while not compromising on their aggressive, fun, transgressive and danceable foundation.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  46. The album teams him with bassist Christian McBride & drummer Brian Blade for a buoyant, rhythmic, inventive & fun set. Three masters of their craft just enjoying the hell out of playing together & improvising.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  47. My first purchase of 2025. Anxiety & tension lift off & ascend. Arpeggiated synths, epic post-rock progressions, smeary pedal-mutated transcendent guitar melodies. Perfect soundtrack for the early days of 2025.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  48. A pristine, glittering jazz fusion set, with Bley on organ. Winding but melodic organ / piano / electric guitar solos abound, over the solid spine of Steve Swallow, Victor Lewis & Don Alias’s tight rhythm section.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  49. Simon imagines an alternate self who never made it big & tours the bar circuit. The band is amazing (Steve Gadd! Tony Levin!) - what if jazz musicians played bar rock? & the lyrics are poetic & probing.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  50. Explores the impact of race & racism at home & in the larger world, over over gorgeous music blending classic R&B & soul with elements of hip-hop, electronica, indie rock & jazz, set to matchless melodies.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  51. Stylistically adventurous, wide-ranging in its influences, this empathetic, witty, soulful record is daring, but in ways that draw you into the finely crafted songs & tightly written poetic lyrics.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  52. Melodic, playful & swinging, a melange of bebop, cool jazz, and heavily inspired by Duke Ellington. At this point in Burrell’s career he was a master of his craft & this album is testament to that.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  53. A landmark for ambient music but also just a gorgeous record, uncertain as it is calming, melancholy as it is optimistic, haunted as it is playful.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  54. Barron is one of the most lyrical jazz pianists I've heard, & this 2016 album melds that with impeccable rhythm, effortless swing & accents of Latin jazz. Saw them at the Vanguard recently - a delight.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  55. The band examines love & loss in many forms (of place, romance, friends, family, God, country etc) over piano-driven alt-pop. One of their masterpieces.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  56. (did Bowie name *his* “Changesone” inspired by this?) Opening track “Remember Rockefeller At Attica” is one of my favorite jazz songs of all time. The song’s playful, serpentine melody is 51 bars long.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  57. Secular hymns of questioning, wandering, rock bottom & redemption. Lots of harmonies between Bono / Edge / Lanois / Eno. The most prog U2 ever got. Pitchfork hated it. But I think it's gorgeous.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  58. Dylan's band on this includes members of the Heartbreakers and Los Lobos. Modern anxieties shot through with love & anger.

    Listen to the album on YouTube

  59. Joyful, masterful interplay between oud, santour & percussion.

    Listen to the album on YouTube