The Gospel According To John- John Davis at Fletcher's

Going to see a project by a former member of an amazing band is always a tricky situation. One is almost always setting themselves up for disappointment, since you can't help but compare the new material to the past, and it almost never recaptures the magic of what made you fall in love with it in the first place. This is especially true in a situation where much of the new material is unheard, and therefore there isn't a connection to the songs already established, which will often make the newer songs seem weaker in comparison, even if in reality they are just as good if not better. Fortunately enough, as was the case tonight with John Davis, occasionally there is the rare occurrence of an artist dissolving any reservations with amazing songwriting and sheer passion.

Opening with a couple bluesy rockers, Davis and his new band quickly proved that his new material could indeed carry its own weight with soulful vocals, fuzzy riffs, and harmonies sounding like something straight off of Big Star's "#1 Record." Davis' master of pop songwriting reared its head with "Me And My Girl," from his new EP, once again showing his Big Star and Beatles influences. John then took things up a notch sitting down at a keyboard and belting out a slow, sad ballad (I'm assuming this was "Hear Your Voice"? I didn't see a setlist) Just when he had the audience on the verge of tears, the drums slammed in and the song double-timed its way into a Paul McCartney-style pop masterpiece. Following this came a few more piano-based songs, among them the heart-wrenching "Lay Your Burden Down" and the incredible "Jesus Gonna Build Me A Home." At this point I knew the inevitable was coming- I would be going home with a copy of the new EP. Closing out the set John and the boys treated us with the Superdrag-esque "Nothing Gets Me Down," and the hard rocking "Too Far Out." Much of the material bore a very strong 70's rock influence, and that, dear readers, is never a bad thing. After leaving the stage, Davis soon returned for an incendiary cover of the Beatles' "I Me Mine," leaving all in attendance hungry for more. The album arrives in March, and with songs like these, it will definitely hold its own among the classic Superdrag LPs. Let's hope John doesn't stay away from Baltimore for too long.