Every sideman has his day eventually. Today it’s Richard Davies’ turn. The singer-guitarist — not to be confused with his Supertramp namesake — has worked with the likes of OG Sex Pistol Glen Matlock and ’90s indie-popsters Tiny Monroe. He covers both sides of that musical waterfront on this set, balancing scrappy guitar-crunch nuggets (including a cover of kindred spirit Alejandro Escovedo’s Heartbeat Smile) next to power-pop janglers and rootsy rockers — all the better to showcase his rough-hewn vocals and no-fuss, no-muss approach. Score one for the little guy.
THE PRESS RELEASE: “After years as a collaborator, gun for hire, and band member — most notably with London bands The Snakes and Tiny Monroe — Richard Davies returns front and centre on this cracking new collection. It’s the first album to feature Richard as lead vocalist and principal songwriter, recorded during 2019 in Wiltshire. Human Traffic features appearances from old friends including Tim Emery (Case Hardin, Last Great Dreamers) on bass guitar and Chris Cannon (Mega City Four, The Snakes) on drums. Completing the line-up and co-producing, along with Richard and Tim, is Nick Beere — long a studio Snake but recently spotted on stage with them — on an array of instruments, and the ensemble now also includes Neil Scully, another former Case Hardin man, on keyboards. “Recording this album was something that I’d always wanted to do but never really got round to doing until now,” Richard explains. “Some of the songs are about me, some of them are about other people, but they all capture reality as I see it. I wanted to record an album that was about real life and with all the highs and lows that go with it.”
