Roustabout Records artist: Davina and the Vagabonds - Sunshine - New Release Review

I just received the newest release (July 15, 2014), Sunshine, from Davina and the Vagabonds and it's actually quite good! Opening with title track, Sunshine, Davina lays all of the pop that I'd care to hear on an entire cd in one track. That's actually a good idea from my perspective. This really sugary sweet female vocal track could easily make a splash on any top 40's radio station. Now that we've got that out of the way, we get sown to some serious fun. Flow has a light poppy feel but with more sophistication and unique vocal styling by Davina, accompanying herself on piano and joined by Daniel Eikmeier on trumpet, Benjamin Link on trombone, Conner McCrae Hammergren on drums and Andrew Burns on bass. Fizzle Out delves even deeper into serious vocal styling and composition. There are traces of Fiona Apple and others in her work but she stands alone with her own sound. Primarily accompanying herself on piano, I like it! One of my favorite tracks on the release, Away From Me, shows maturity and patience. This is a beautifully composed and executed track that can stand with the best ballad compositions that I've heard in recent past. Excellent! I Try To Be Good has a Latin feel with stylistic vocal references to Amy Winehouse. Authentic Cuban style piano with by Davina is really cool and a really nice trombone solo by Link is really nice. Addition of tight percussion work by Hammergren and cool trumpet by Eikmeier also add a nice punch. R&B style track You Better Start Praying shows additional versatility by Davina with musical references to The Band (Ophelia). Red Shoes has a rag style but contemporary presentation and New Orleans flair. Nice New Orleans style piano by Davina, tight drums by by Hammergren and super horn work from Link and Eikmeier compliment the vocal precision of Davina. Throw It to The Wolves retains the New Orleans rag styling with the slick addition of Tony Balluff on clarinet. So far I have been raving about the nice instrumental work by Davina but she is an extremely strong vocalist as well. This track has a really cool uptempo jazz break with a Dixiland feel but it's back to spot and a tight ending. I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water has a strong swing feel and Davina again shows her strength on vocals even though she strongly carries a lot of the weight of the instrumentals on keys. This is a musician who could easily be the featured vocalist or the featured piano player for many contemporary blues bands. An extremely talented composer, vocalist and instrumentalist. On You Must Be Losing Your Mind, Davina takes a a nice jazz styled piano solo to open the track and Link and Eikmeier each take extended, well constructed horn solos, Burns a solid bass solo, and Hammergren a drum solo as well, giving this track serious instrumental merit. On Oh Heavenly Day, Davina is back with an emphasis on lead vocals. A quiet moody ballad this leads up to a bonus track, Under Lock and Key. This bonus track returns to the pop like styling but with grittier vocals earlier associated with Winehouse. I thoroughly enjoyed this release and plan to have it in my car for further review within a few weeks. This is a cool release and one that you should check out.

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New CD from Davina and the Vagabonds Is a Ray of "Sunshine;" Twin-Cities-Based Band Releases Their Strongest Album Yet, July 15, on Roustabout Records

New CD from Davina and the Vagabonds Is a Ray of Sunshine

Twin-Cities-Based Band Releases Their Strongest Album Yet, July 15, on Roustabout Records

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Twin-Cities based Davina and the Vagabonds announce a July 15 release date for their new CD, Sunshine, on Roustabout Records, distributed nationally by Burnside Distribution. Sunshine was produced by the band, recorded and mixed in December, 2013, at The Pearl Recording Studio in Minneapolis and mastered at Treelady Studios.

Davina and the Vagabonds will celebrate the new album with two special local pre-release party shows at the Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant in Minneapolis on May 23-24. DATV will be in Europe for most of the summer, and will return to the U.S. just in time to travel to the prestigious Monterey Jazz Festival, where they will be playing the two biggest stages of the festival: the Arena and Garden stages, on September 20. At a previous Monterey Jazz Festival performance, the Monterey Herald pronounced them as “…easily among the breakout stars at this year’s festival.” 

Recorded in exquisite analog sound and set for release on both CD and vinyl, Sunshine is a bold statement from a songwriter and band that draws from the last 100 years of American music and sounds truly original. Through the 11 songs (and one bonus track), many facets of the group are represented: there is the unmitigated optimism of the title track and “Flow,” and the irrepressible New Orleans second-line groove of “Red Shoes.” “You Better Start Praying” sounds as if it came from The Band’s Last Waltz album sessions, and “Away from Me” is soul balladry at its most heartbreaking. “Fizzle Out” is an achingly beautiful pop tune, and “I Really Try to Be Good” is a hypnotic minor-key rumba. The relaxed swing of “Throw It to the Wolves for Love” is a nod to Fats Waller, and then the band covers the immortal Fats, himself, with a glorious take of his “You Must be Losing Your Mind.” Besides the Waller tune, DATV has added two additional covers that have also become fan favorites, done Vagabond style. Included is the blues tune, “I’d Rather Drink Muddy Water,” (inspired by Aretha Franklin’s version); and Davina plays a sublime solo version of Patty Griffin’s “Heavenly Day.” The album closes with the bonus track, an updated version of Davina Sowers’ “Under Lock and Key,” the title track from DATV’s 2007 album (now out of print).

At the heart of the band’s sound are the scintillating keyboard work and soulful vocals of Davina. "Sowers' vocals are unreal,” wrote one reviewer. “She simultaneously evokes Adele and Bessie Smith, and the band’s sound is vintage and fresh, a modern take on old-time blues and jazz.” A British reviewer said of her style, “Think of a meld of Bessie Smith, Etta James, Alberta Adams and Amy Winehouse and you come close to understanding what Davina Sowers is all about …Davina is a real talent who deserves greater exposure.”

Over the last nine years, Davina and the Vagabonds have grown from a down-and-dirty blues band into one of the most exciting acoustic ensembles in the country. This high-energy quintet has established itself with a stellar live show, great stage presence and good old-fashioned hard work: they used to average over 300 shows a year in the Twin Cities area, and now have an ambitious full-time U.S. and international schedule. Davina and the Vagabonds' first album in three years, Sunshine is the latest chapter in DATV's new spin on an old sound mission!

DATV’s last release, 2011’s Black Cloud, was the first to feature all original songs by Davina Sowers. It received 3 ½ stars in Downbeat magazine, and was named one of the Top Ten records of the year by the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The national exposure led to additional touring: several festival appearances throughout the U.S. and Europe, including appearances at the 2012 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and 2013 Monterey Jazz Festival. Over the last 3 years, the band has appeared in 38 states, two Canadian provinces, and 8 European countries. The grueling tour schedule has led to a number of personnel changes, which delayed the writing and recording of new material. After a number of changes, DATV’s Black Cloud tour has resulted in Sunshine!

Davina and the Vagabonds are booked by Intrepid Artists International (www.intrepidartists.com). For more information, visit www.davinaandthevagabonds.com.