Aaron Davis

Full of memorable lines, interesting sounds and intriguing blends of influences, it’s one of the more origi-
nal releases I’ve heard in a while. Davis and his studio guests generally start from a rootsy, blues-inflected,
proud-to-be-a-hick place, but add depth and breadth with biting steel guitar, gently funky background riffs, unexpected changes and movement, and lyrics that alternate between clear-cut storytelling and provocative obfuscation, with visceral insights coalescing from time to time. These 12 tunes display solid songwriting and bold studio work.

- Planet Jackson Hole Weekly

Someone with as much talent as Davis needs to be heard. With a solid traditional folk sound and some truly excellent songwriting, this award-winning Wyoming native is off to a strong start.

Aaron Davis has been playing and singing for years, working as front man for a number of bands, including Boondocks, Global Review, and Grilled Cheese; he's been performing hundreds of shows a year and has opened for or shared the bill with the likes of Willie Nelson, Brian Wilson, James McMurtry, Wilco, Reckless Kelly, and many others.

He's a phenomenal songwriter, plays a variety of stringed instruments (including pedal steel, which always impresses me), and he certainly knows how to put together great musicians to present his first solo effort, a marvelous blend of traditional Americana sounds with his own experiences, history, and the glorious themes of the west, including Bill Plummer on upright bass, Marshall Davis on electric bass, Davis Bundy on drums, John Kuzloski, Ben Winship, Matt Kramer, John Kidwell, Jason Fritts, and others.

Davis wrote every one of the twelve tracks on this disc, demonstrating a wide range of style while keeping to tradition. His love for his native Wyoming, and the city of Jackson Hole, ring through his songs, from the historical view of the opening track "1937," about life during the New Deal in Jackson Hole, which received runner-up honors at the 2008 Dreams Acres Music Festival Singer-Songwriter Contest in North Carolina. Davis also had one of his songs selected for the television series Road Trip Nation, which was featured online at MSN.com; and no wonder.

He tackles every style of traditional Americana, roots-based music, from blues and jazz to folk and country.

"Mystery Woman" kicks things into high gear, "Still Drinkin' Your Whiskey" is alt-country at its finest. There's not a single thing to really complain about here; it's a sharp and winning solo debut, and one I hope gives Davis the boost he needs to be heard. - About.com by Kathy Coleman

Aaron Davis is to music what Jose Oquendo or Steve Lyons was for baseball: wily, flexible, and diverse. He’ll run sound for you at seven, play solo acoustic at nine, and bring the house down electric with Boondocks or Global Review at eleven. His music: the arrangements, the lyrics, the subjects; they do not fit neatly into any one box; they're as varied as human experience, and Davis explores this richness in his songs.

His originals explore the movement to and away from home, like "The Cardinal," where his sentiments oscillate between the hills of Kentucky and the mountains and streams of Wyoming, and how these notions can be problematic at times. He also examines the paradoxical nature of American politics with a witty yet critical sensibility. This is especially evident in Davis' song, "Country."

For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, Aaron Davis is married to his music. What he does with music behind closed doors is his business, but when on the stage he belongs to us. And thank God. There is no other voice in American music quite like Aaron Davis. - Ryan Allen, author of Catch the Wind

After the excellent 2006 CD "Transcend" with his band Global Review, and "Live At The Silver Dollar" with Boondocks a year later, frontman Aaron Davis now has a true solo debut, “Rear View Mirror.” It’s a CD that, as the title and the beautiful cover photo show, looks back at a field of roots music, but also looks towards the light of the open road.

For his recording of "Rear View Mirror," he chose from a range of top musicians, with specialists for the various styles in his songs. The class bassist Bill Plummer (Stones / Miles Davis) nudges the party on several songs, even a prominent name from the jam band scene—Ben Winship on mandolin—and the excellent backing vocals of Margo Vallante, Seadar Rose and Michael Batdorf.

Aaron is the type of artist that managers in the business put on their "flexible" list. He is a sound engineer, a solo act, and frontman for two bands. His style and lyrics are equally diversified. Take the song "Mystery Woman", that rocks with a full band at full force behind him. But also remarkable is the raw, but powerful "The Cardinal," where only his voice and guitar express a poignant atmosphere.

The rugged bluesy slide intro to "1937" is what you would expect from a new blues artist, but most of the numbers fall into the Americana and alt-country atmosphere, while folk, roots-rock, jazz and bluegrass are intertwined for some true diversity.

The environment-conscious "Day The River Died" and "What The Hell, Grandpa," to the Gram Parsons tribute, "GP," and the Dylan-esque "Papa Hemmi's Hideout,” all are beautiful songs, and the strength of “Rear View Mirror” shines. Alongside Lucinda Williams, Todd Snider and Ryan Adams, Rear View Mirror is one of the best Americana releases at the moment!
- Rootstime (Italy)

Since moving to Jackson Hole in the summer of 2001, singer-songwriter Aaron Davis has established himself as one of the most dynamic, talented layers on the local music scene.

He is the front man for eclectic jam band Global review and roots-rock group The Docks and has played nearly every venue in the valley, from regular gigs at the Silver Dollar Bar to a set last summer at the Jackson Hole Music Festival. In November, Davis realized a long-term goal with the release of his first solo album, Rear View Mirror.

The debut disc is a fine showcase of Davis’ talents as both a musician and songwriter. It progresses through a dozen songs that touch on folk, bluegrass, acoustic blues, alt-country and Americana as the songwriter explores themes of loss, reflection, the olden days, and life out West.

Davis uses a plethora of guitars on the album, and learned to play pedal steel guitar to honor one of his heroes on “GP,” a song inspired by Gram Parsons. He also plays several percussive instruments and picked up the jaw harp, which adds an Australian Outback feel to the fun ditty “What the Hell, Grandpa.”

Many of Davis’ bandmates joined him in the studio to record the album, including vocalist Margo Valiante, who sings harmony on eight tracks. Bassist Bill Plummer, who has recorded with the Rolling Stones and played with Ravi Shankar and Miles Davis, plays upright bass on three songs, and Ben Winship adds some fine mandolin picking to “Pas It On” and “What the Hell, Grandpa.”

Though he recorded much of the music in his makeshift home studio, the end product sounds crisp, clean and professional thanks to mixing from engineer Greg Creamer at PureLand Studio in Driggs, Idaho, and mastering from Grammy award-winning engineer Davis Glasser at Airshow Mastering.

Rear View Mirror is a great album and tremendous effort for the gifted singer-songwriter. It has already garnered some national attention, winning runner-up honors and the Dreams Acres Music Festival in Pleasant Hill, N.C.
- Jackson Hole News and Guide

“Aaron’s song “Papa Hemmi’s Hideout” was definitely a standout on the Oasis Acoustic Compilation CD. There wasn’t much else I was interested in.” - Lauryn Shapter, DJ, KRUU FM

"For a festival so small, you might expect an odd assortment of semi-famous musicians that no one's really ever heard of, but almost the exact opposite was true. Big names like Wilco, The Black Crowes, and Ben Harper all brought some serious noise to the tiny venue.

After Henry Butler left the stage, local Aaron Davis brought his acoustic guitar out front. A little folksy, a little bluesy, with some really cool slide riffs and a harmonica worked in, Aaron Davis created a pleasant vibe until Kaki King came to the stage." - Gratefulweb.net by Sam Hollaway

“A breadth of expression and an absolutely outstanding talent.” - Lonestar Time (Italy)