Brock Davis

BROCK DAVIS 

A Song Waiting To Be Sung 
Raintown, 2022 

9/10 

The Santa Cruz singer-songwriter Brock Davis knows his way around an Americana tune, and here he brings us a therapeutic 13 selections that uses female harmony vocals, folk-friendly guitars and strong attention to lyricism. 

Davis starts the album with the warm and indeed romantic “I Choose Love”, where his soulful pipes guide the cozy pedal steel and gorgeous backing vocals of the sublime Americana, and “Can’t Get Close Enough To You” follows with a quicker pace of well timed organ, more forceful drumming, and, of course, Davis’ rugged yet tuneful pipes. 

The title track resides in the middle and is quite eloquent amid the thicker, rootsy delivery, while “We Will Rise” emits an almost gospel tone with strategic backing vocals and much power and emotion present and appreciated. 

Close to the end, “Any Lie”, the album’s best, showcases smooth singing alongside thumping drums and a charming rhythm, and “I Don’t Wanna Be That Guy” exits the listen with plenty of breezy melodies in the crisp and highly memorable finish. 

Davis has got a rich set of pipes and his wordplay is both insightful and eloquent. Add in some timeless country, folk and roots moments, and you’ve got a first rate Americana listen. 

Travels well with: The Twangtown Paramours- Double Down On A Bad Thing; Bruce Cockburn- Greatest Hits (1970-2020)

Original article

BROCK DAVIS 
A SONG WAITING TO BE SUNG 
13-SONG CD 

Brock Davis hails from a mill town near Vancouver, Canada where he mined those small-town roots to inform his country inflected songwriting. A veteran performer, Davis spent years paying his dues in bars and nightclubs, witnessing first hand, life unfold before him. 

For his new album, A Song Waiting To Be Sung, Davis entered Ronnie’s Place Studio in Nashville with some of that city’s finest musicians that includes Pat McGrath on guitar and mandolin, Justin Ostrander on electric guitar, Duncan Mullins on bass, Marcus Finnie on drums, pedal steelers Scotty Sanders & Russ Paul, keyboardist Michael Hicks and background singers Kyla Jade, Blair Whitlow, Grant Vogelfanger, Matt Dame, Kristin K. Smith & Tania Hancheroff. The outcome is a well-crafted collection of songs that boast Davis’ uncanny ability of capturing the nuances of love and life in a song. 

Best tracks: the driving’ country rock of “Can’t Get Close Enough To You”, the poignant title track “A Song Waiting To Be Sung”, the optimistic swagger of “We Will Rise”, the revelatory “Bullets and Blood”, the sweetly penned, Gordon Lightfoot infused “Second Time Around”, and the beautifully orchestrated “Bet On Love”. 

- Brian M. Owens

Podcast here...

Recorded Interview

Brock Davis 
- A Song Waiting To Be Sung - 

The latest album from Americana Roots singer songwriter Brock Davis titled A Song Waiting To Be Sung was an emotional experience for the artist. On the album Davis confronts his traumatic upbringing, the end of his marriage and the pressure packed years spent as CEO of a Silicon Valley tech company all of which finally got the better of him. While you may think that would lead to some depressing themes for the album Davis instead turns his personal tragedies into a story of rebirth, second chances, love, optimism and forgiveness. 

Davis is backed by a stellar coterie of musicians for the album including Pat McGrath (acoustic guitar/mandolin), Justin Ostrander (electric guitar), Duncan Mullins (bass), Marcus Fine (drums), Scotty Sanders (pedal steel), Russ Paul (pedal steel) and Michael Hicks (Hammond B3/piano). The album opens with the laid back strains of "I Choose Love" that sets the mood throughout the album's thirteen tracks. Other highlights include the soaring "Can't Get Close Enough To You", the story of lessons learned "I Get It Now", "All Free" written during the Black Lives Matter protests that deals with social and racial injustice, the autobiographical tender love ballad "Second Time Around", the title cut "A Song Waiting To Be Sung" told from the perspective of a father to his new born son, "We Will Rise" a jubilant ode to the downtrodden and "Bullets and Blood" a true song about a 30 year love story between a gay couple and the harsh reality of the homophobic world they try to fit in with. A couple of country flavored tunes "Bet On Love" and "Any Lie" along with "I Don't Wanna Be That Guy" a wistful tale of love (and a Rom-Com in a song) stand out as well. 

After some trying times in his life it's great to see that Brock Davis has come out on the better side of things on his latest album A Song Waiting To Be Sung. For more information about Brock Davis you can go to www.brockdavismusic.com or visit www.facebook.com/brock.davis.band 

- Bob Silvestri

Original article

Brock Davis: A Song Waiting To Be Sung 

Before I listen to albums I always have the habit of checking the credits first. I immediately noticed pedal steel guitarist Russ Pahl. Pahl is one of the most in-demand session musicians in the United States. 

Initially, Pahl was to play on the entire album A Song Waiting to Be Sung, but due to the Corona pandemic, was limited to just the title song and Bullets and Blood. But the other pedal steel guitarist, Scotty Sanders, is also a very experienced session musician. Brock Davis appears to be surrounded by excellent accompanists. 

Brock grew up in a small town near Vancouver, Canada. Today, he splits his time between Santa Cruz, California and Nashville, Tennessee. Brock started his professional music career in his teens, started performing a lot and making albums that could count on the necessary critical acclaim. He then temporarily turned his back on music to start a family and spent time in Silicon Valley in a heavy position. 

Now Brock is back with A Song Waiting to Be Sung, a purifying collection of Americana and Indie country songs. Songs in which, among other things, a childhood trauma, an untenable marriage and his experiences in Silicon Valley are discussed. According to Brock, it has ultimately become a triumphant statement of second chances, love, unity and forgiveness. 

I prefer to hear Brock in the more soulful songs and in songs where you can sing along to the choruses right away, like All Free, one of my favorites. In addition to the necessary uptempo songs, there is also a moment of tranquility here and there, such as Your One and Only Life. 

The songs took some time to fully sink in with me. Brock produced the album himself in an excellent manner. In an honest way, Brock on A Song Waiting to Be Sung mainly cleans up the problems that gnawed at him. 

- Theo Volk

Original article

Also posted here...

Brock Davis: A Song Waiting To Be Sung 

A Song Waiting To Be Sung is the new album from singer/songwriter BROCK DAVIS, who grew up in Vancouver, Canada, but is now peddling between Nashville and Santa Cruz, California. Not entirely sure if this is his first album, but I truly hope he gets the attention he deserves, because his music is a lovely mix of American rock, Country, Americana, AOR/westcoast and a touch of Southern Rock.

The album was recorded and mixed in Nashville by Grammy award winning engineer Zach Allen (KEB MO, CHRISTONE ‘KINGFISH’ INGRAM) at Ronnie’s Place in Nashville, TN, a historic studio once owned by ROY ORBISON and, later, RONNIE MILSAP. It all sounds really picture perfect, and besides Brock on vocals, the other involved musicians are guitarists PAT MCGRATH and JUSTIN OSTRANDER, bassist DUNCAN MULLINS, drummer MARCUS FINNIE, SCOTTY SANDERS and RUSS PAHL (pedal steel), MICHAEL HICKS (B3 & Piano) and 6 backing vocalists.

The material is superstrong from start to finish, with a total of 13 songs included, and it definitely rocks from time to time, although towards the end it gets a bit more mainstream country/americana ish (with even a DANNY VERA kinda song in the shape of Any Lie). The best songs however are the rockier ones, such as Can't Get Close Enough To You, which is a lovely midtempo heartland/rootsy melodic rocker that sounds like a mix between TOM PETTY, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, JACKSON BROWNE, JIMMY DAVIS and such, featuring a superb catchy soulful AOR/Westcoast chorus and a real classic rocking vibe to finish it off. I Get It Now is the kinda typical American country/southern power rock ballad like it is only possible to create in the good old USA. It’s a wonderful catchy radio-ready tune that should easily find its way on the American radio stations.

All Free takes it a step further, because this semi-rockballad is almost purely in the classic AOR/Rock direction of MITCH MALLOY and STAN BUSH, although vocally Brock sounds a bit rawer in a TOM KIMMEL/TOM COCHRANE kinda direction. Here and there we do find some more calmer singer-songwriter pieces in the JACKSON BROWNE style and as already mentioned country and americana influences are upfront towards the end of the CD, but all together A Song Waiting To Be Sung is a highly recommended album to check out!

More info at: https://brockdavismusic.com/music

Original article

He can sing, this Brock Davis. And with A Song Waiting To Be Sung (Raintown Records) he also has something to say. Don't expect too many surprising insights, but do expect personal stories about the ups and downs of life. On I Get It Now his voice occasionally reminds me of Jimmy LaFave. In terms of style, it also goes a bit in that direction. The Canadian who lives in California makes a kind of heartland rock, which is also influenced by the work of John Mellencamp. Especially when the gospel choir joins in. The album was recorded in Nashville by experienced professionals, making the sound extremely professional. Springsteen's glorious approach isn't far away either. A pulling organ here and a slide guitar there, or a dash of steel guitar if that's appropriate. Smooth and just not too smooth; it comes across as professional studio work in which the studio musicians have done their thing with great feeling. 

- John Gjaltema

Original article

Brock Davis
A Song Waiting To Be Sung

Canadian-born singer-songwriter Brock Davis, who now lives in California, uses all kinds of music styles to craft his quintessentially American songs: country, rock, folk, pop. With this he creates easy-to-hear, mostly mid-tempo songs, which you can easily sing along with almost immediately. The thirteen tracks were recorded in Nashville and engineered by Zach Allen (who also did Keb' Mo', among others). A number of top musicians from the Nashville scene are on the record, so it is not surprising that the sound on the CD is like a wall. A bit too solid of a wall for my taste.

- Hans van Deelen

Original article

Thirteen songs about love, forgiveness and second chances. Thirteen songs in an indie country and Americana style, the style that suits Brock Davis best. Thirteen songs that have been dormant in him for a long time and now come from his heart and body. Hence the title of this album: A Song Waiting To Be Sung. Finally, he says in a recent interview, after a hard childhood, a miserable divorce and a job at a Silicon Valley start-up that ended up in a burnout, to express himself, he went back to what he loved best, his favorite thing: the music. Therefore, given this, the whole album exudes positivity. Each song has its own melody and rhythm in which the text and the music complement and reinforce each other. That may sound obvious, but in music it does not have to be. Here, on this album, it's in balance; with the help of, in addition to Brock Davis on vocals, Pat McGrath on acoustic guitar and mandolin; Justin Ostrander on electric guitar; Duncan Mullins on bass; Marcus Finnie on drums; Scotty Sanders and Russ Dahl on pedal steel and Michael Hicks on B3 organ and piano. While the fantastic background vocals come from Kyla Jade, Blair Whitlow, Grant Vogelfanger, Matt Dame, Kristin K. Smith and Tania Hancheroff; in short, a select group of studio musicians who have collaborated with Keb Mo', Taj Mahal, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood and Michael MacDonald, among others. The beautiful clear production of this surprisingly beautiful album is by Brock Davis himself. 

I'm not going to describe the album song by song. The songs form the album, make it a whole and it would take away the magic if I discussed them piece by piece. As a reader, you're already interested, it's up to me to make you more curious and I hope you trust me. A Song Waiting To Be Sung: a beautiful, personal, almost intimate album made with love. First class music with occasional ruffles, real music from a first class musician. 

- Jarl Van Meeteren

Original article

Listen to "I Don't Wanna Be That Guy" here!

Full chart here...

This is a hell of a good album made with Nashville’s top session players. 

Can’t Get Close Enough To You with the huge wash of Michael B Hicks organic Hammond B3 and the gorgeous title track are superb. 

Davis’ vocals are solid and inspiring on the ballads Your One and Only Life and the gorgeous acoustic Second Time Around. 

However I could not find any videos of Davis playing live on YouTube and that is very strange. 

There are a few regular videos made a few years back but that’s it 

If you're going to go out with a big sounding album as this is there should be some live stuff up there. 

Other standouts include I Don’t Want To Be That Guy and the excellent Bullets and Blood. 

Let’s see some of these songs and Brock live. 

- John Emms

(John Emms is a veteran music journalist, Juno Awards Judge, musician with Canada’s Blues Rockers, The Shaftmen and former radio and tv host, as well as a Post Media free lance columnist)

Original Article

Brock Davis - A Song Waiting To Be Sung

Singer, guitarist and songwriter Davis waxes reflective on this album's opening cut "I Choose Love," a delicate and sad look at a couple's divorce and the effort to come out of it without bitterness. "I Can't Get Close Enough to You" on the other hand finds Davis singing about the joys of a current relationship, appropriately set to a rocking beat where cooing background vocals add to the sense of elation. Davis puts himself in the shoes of a man singing to his daughter for the tender "Your One and Only Life"; surely the song will resonate with parents everywhere. Guest player Michael Hicks plays Hammond B3 organ on "We Will Rise" which offers a good dose of hopefulness --- something the world and the US in particular surely needs right now --- and the way the pedal steel is played on the song gives the cut a bit of a Jackson Browne feel. While despair mingles with positivity throughout, Davis projects a sense of a man bent not only on surviving but thriving.

- Kevin Wierzbicki

Original Article

Brock Davis - A Song Waiting To Be Sung

The Canadian-raised singer/songwriter, now based in Santa Cruz, California, has released a new album - A Song Waiting To Be Sung. But not only has one song has been waiting, thirteen songs now have their chance to be presented. The album was recorded in Nashville with top musicians (A-list Nashville session cats). 

Obviously some autobiographical elements have flowed into the lyrics, Davis wrote about the record: Out of the ashes comes rebirth, and out of pain and loss, against all odds, comes love.. The direction should therefore be quite optimistic. Well, he also chose love, as the first song immediately says: "I Choose Love". Here I notice this beautiful atmosphere, which, accompanied by a slight melancholy, immediately draws my mind to my colleague John Gorka. But a touch of Marc Cohn also seems to resonate. 

"I Can't Get Close Enough To You", they get closer with the second song. This one contains more rock elements, roots rock. One of the ladies from the throng of background vocalists pushes her vocals to the fore, and from 2:37 she is passionately in the limelight. They seem to have gotten closer... 

And so the tempi and the moods change over the course of the record, everything can be classified well in the Americana genre. Harmony is something that is very defining in the composition of the songs, every now and then a little touch of country suits them well, like the pedal steel on "I Get It Now". As can be read, the protagonist is said to have been inspired by Bruce Springsteen. A Song Waiting To Be Sung mostly runs in calm waters. Clearly structured songs, classic structure, classic rock paired with different elements, with folk, with country and sometimes a little touch of gospel. 

But I also think of of Bob Dylan when I listen to the title track. I also particularly like the ballad "Second Time Around", quite spartan, decorated with acoustic guitar and mandolin, both played by "First-Call Nashville Session Player", Pat McGrath. In general, the musicians make a decisive contribution to creating this high level of the songs. And Brock Davis puts his pleasantly warm and sympathetic sounding voice over it, creating a pleasant unity.

- Wolfgang Giese

Original Article

A SONG WAITING TO BE SUNG Brock Davis (Raintown Records) ***** 

Here’s the latest from Brock Davis. A Song Waiting To Be Sung is shocking for the emotional truth you’ll find in the tunes, a supple blend of folk and country sounds. He says that seeing Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band on TV when he was 15 was his ‘Beatles on Ed Sullivan moment’- makes sense. This disc is haunting and gorgeous. 

Davis does not wrap things up in a pretty bow neatly finished with happy endings; he confronts childhood trauma, the death of an unsustainable marriage, even the years he stepped away from his love (music) to run a Silicon Valley start-up. A Song Waiting To Be Sung takes us from the darkness into the light of second chances, love, and forgiveness. “Out of the ashes comes rebirth, and out of pain and loss- against all odds- comes love” Brock says. “I repressed so much, and I didn’t really start addressing any of it until I pretty much had a breakdown. The way out was to go back and connect the thing that had always given me the most joy- music. These songs were waiting inside me all this time.” Having had many dark nights of the soul myself, I can relate. 

The 13 tracks on A Song Waiting To Be Sung address some serious emotional themes without clubbing you over the head. I Choose Love, the opening cut, is about detaching from divorce with kindness. All Free was written during the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020, and one line in the chorus goes, If we’re not all free/ we’re not free at all. Bullets and Blood is the true story of a 30 year love story between a gay male couple in the south and experiencing their kitchen door being shot up in an attempt to run them out of town. Even a dark story like that carries the promise of hope. 

Song Waiting To Be Sung is also a great sounding record. It was recorded and mixed in Nashville by Grammy Award-winning engineer Zach Allen (Keb’ Mo, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram) and produced by Brock. The band is a who’s who of Nashville A-listers whose credits include working with Keb’ Mo, Taj Mahal, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Alan Jackson and Michael McDonald. “I can’t imagine working with a better band” Brock enthuses. “In one long, very creative day, we laid down all the tracks for the entire record.” 

This disc often feels ‘country’, but there’s a lot more going here than whiskey, your mama and pick-up trucks. A combination of intelligent, deeply personal, emotionally honest songs and a warm, inviting voice along with frankly superior musicianship make A Song Waiting To Be Sung a must-have. This is quite excellent. www.brockdavismusic.com 

HOT TRACKS: All Free, I Choose Love, Bullets and Blood

- John Kereiff

Original Article

Full chart here...

Brock Davis - A Song Waiting To Be Sung 

Intimate, Personal and Imaginative Songs That Create a Musical Novella 

On the day this album was released we had a choice between 14 albums to review …. which left me feeling a bit like Damocles in the Bible; having to choose what to review and what to miss out. 

But you can thank my trusty IPhone for picking out a track from this release last night on my way home from work ….. which in turn reminded me how much I’d enjoyed the album a month or so ago. 

When you know a little of Davis’s background it helps appreciate the cathartic way he confronts childhood trauma; the demise of an unsustainable marriage; and recent years going 100 miles an hour running a Silicon Valley startup and coming out the other side relatively unscathed. 

Straddling Country Rock and Americana storytelling with ease; the album starts with I Choose Love, a delicate and introspective tale about his divorce; but with the narrator choosing to remember their early days and the love and happier times that they had once shared; but no longer can. 

Davis immediately cranks up the tempo on the following track Can’t Get Close Enough To You which actually ‘punches well above its weight’ as Davis shows his powerful vocal range on a blistering song that reminded me a bit of a Bob Seger track; whose name I can’t remember! 

Later Brock treads a similar, but much softer and path with Second Time Around; as Brock sings about a real life ‘second chance’ love affair; which was the track my IPhone played; and a song I’ve come back to it a few times in the intervening days. 

I love the way Davis uses and changes the mood right throughout the album; he drops in Soft Rockers like Bet on Love and the intense We Will Rise while surrounding them with beautiful passionate and powerful Marking Time and I Get It Now; which somehow seem more intimate when juxtaposed alongside the more commercial numbers. 

Because of the variety in Davis’s writing selecting a Favourite Song has been as difficult as usual. At first it was going to be the brooding title track; A Song Waiting to Be Sung, which builds and builds until it becomes a crescendo; and it’s immediately followed by the beautiful Your One and Only Life; which is for and about the singer’s daughter ….. and will touch the heart of many who hear it. 

Then; there is the bravest song I’ve heard in years …… Bullets and Blood. The first night I heard it I couldn’t believe my ears ….. and had to take it back to the beginning and listen intently! Phew! The melody is as Country as Country gets ….. but the lyrics will set your average redneck’s hair on end; as Brock dictates a story of ‘the love that cannot be named’ …… sadly in 2022, Gay Love is still a taboo subject and I applaud Brock Davis for having the chutzpah to not just write this song but release it too …. and for that it’s my Favourite Song here. 

There’s a lot going on in Brock Davis’ songs, with no two being not just the same; but not even similar; yet when arranged like this create a musical novella; worthy of a much bigger audience than the album is; sadly likely to receive.

Original Article

Brock Davis has a new album out, A Song Waiting to Be Sung, released on Rainwater Records. A Song Waiting To Be Sung was recorded and mixed in Nashville by Grammy Award-winning engineer Zach Allen (Keb’ Mo’, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram) at “Ronnie’s Place” in Nashville.  The album was produced by Brock, with an emphasis on crisp modern fidelity. 

A Song Waiting to Be Sung is Marcus Finnie on drums; Duncan Mullins on bass; Pat McGrath on acoustic guitar and mandolin; Justin Ostrander (Lori McKenna) on electric guitar; Scotty Sanders and Russ Pahl (Yola) on pedal and lap steel;  Michael Hicks on B3 Organ and piano; Brock Davis on vocals. 
Backing vocals are courtesy of Kyla Jade, Blair Whitlow, Tania Hancheroff, Kristin K. Smith, Matt Dame, and Grant Vogelfanger. 

“Choose Love” is a mournful song, opening the album with a showcase of Brock Davis’ richly textured vocals.  “Every step that we take, takes us farther away, we can give in to hate but it’s a steep price to pay.”  This is clearly about more than just one relationship. 

“Can’t Get Close Enough to You” turns the page to a more optimistic outlook with a cheerful rhythms. “I Get it Now” is a country song, with soaring energy and far more lyrical depth than your average fare, a tear-jerker with nostalgia. “I was shooting hoops with my boy last night in the driveway.” 

“All Free” folds in southern rock guitar with a hint of pedal steel in an earnest, declarative song on humanity and fairness. The vocal harmonies here are chilling.  “Second Time Around” is a gentle acoustic number with mandolin and understated lyrics in a song about the perfect second chance. 

This is a quality country album, with thoughtful emotion, compelling vocals, and vibrant harmonies. The songwriting intends to make you cry just a little, and smile a little bit more.

- Elise Cady

Original Article