Physical World

Bart Davenport has spent years mastering various pop forms of the ‘60s, ’70s, and ‘80s, and he taps these influences as he hears fit. But it’s anyone’s guess how it'll all play out. Would you expect a song with the confrontational title “F**k Fame” to nail down a smooth, late-‘70s/early-‘80s groove? Likely not. Would you expect that smooth pop to continue onto “Dust in the Circuits”? Blame part of this newfound smoothness on the small band that frees Davenport up from various duties. Dream Boys guitarist Wayne Faler lends slick leads, and keyboardist Nathan Shafer provides Davenport's smoothest textures to date, while drummers Paul Burkhart and Andres Renteria and bassist Jessica Espeleta lock down grooves tighter than ever. Davenport’s vocals deserve singling out. He captures the soft rock vibe perfectly on the 10cc-like “Girl Gotta Way” and a yacht-rock slickness for the love song “Pamela.” Even the count-off on the title track leads not to raw-boned rock ’n’ roll but to a groove one might imagine from Christopher Cross.