Singer, musician, and performer Chris Davis’ paean to his adopted Bluegrass state home, “Blue Kentucky Wind”, positions his solo career for a considerable boost. It’s the first single from a pending full-length Pinecastle Records debut scheduled for a 2025 release. Davis has picked a choice Larry Cordle/Leslie Satcher-written track to lead off one of his life’s most important musical projects.
It’s an excellent choice.
Davis invests each second of “Blue Kentucky Wind” with a soulful sensitivity to the song’s myriad possibilities. Attentive listeners will likely note how Davis tailors his vocals to suit the arrangement as closely as possible; this attention to detail makes for a far more complete artistic experience. This song never needs to shout or thump its figurative chest. Larry Cordle and Leslie Satcher’s songwriting invokes timeless human emotions, and Davis shows great confidence in embodying those sentiments for listeners.
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Davis affiliates himself with a talented cadre of musicians. Jason Barie’s fiddle, John Meador’s backing vocals, and guitar, Scott Vestal on banjo, and Evan Windsor’s bass make varying yet important contributions to “Blue Kentucky Wind”. In particular, Barie’s fiddle playing gives the single another voice counterpointing Davis’ lead vocals. Meador’s six-string talents and complementary vocals are another key ingredient for the song’s success.
It never bites off more than it can chew. Davis sings this track as if he wrote it himself, inhabiting every syllable, and there’s no wasted motion. He places a high premium on tasteful arrangements that serve the song and nothing more. Nevertheless, the underlying musicianship is high. The forthcoming album’s melodic “front line” of Davis, singing and playing mandolin, Barie’s fiddle work, and John Measor’s guitar and singing proves its mettle and likely does with each track.
Intimacy is another key part of the song’s appeal and runs deeper than you might imagine. The audible vulnerability of this performance will impress some listeners more than any other quality because it lacks any reservation. It is a song that opens itself to the audience, holding nothing back. Davis and his confederates play with an easygoing confidence that instills faith in listeners and remains thoroughly accessible each note of the way.
It is an excellent harbinger of the likely musical excellence to come. Another good sign is the obvious patience that Davis and Pinecastle Records are adopting for the release; we can expect further singles long before the full-length album hits the streets. Davis is clearly ready for this moment. Surrounding himself with top-notch collaborators, choosing five-star material, and connecting with the material on a cellular level positions “Blue Kentucky Wind” as one of the finest tracks in its style released in 2024.
It will likely work just as well within the context of a song cycle as it does as a standalone cut. Hearing “Blue Kentucky Wind” as the title song of his forthcoming Pinecastle Records solo debut makes it remarkably clear that Davis views this moment as a pivotal place in his musical journey. It is possible that after hearing “Blue Kentucky Wind”, you will feel the same.
Claire Uebelacker