I don't follow the doings of Davy Knowles all that closely, to be honest, although I did think his last album What Happens Next was pretty good stuff when it came my way back in 2021. The Manxman is based in Chicago, and doesn’t seem to venture over to Britain that often so, y’know, out of sight is out of mind and all that – which is kinda apt when his new album is titled The Invisible Man. But when I heard the title track on YouTube I sat up and paid attention.
‘The Invisible Man’ is a slow number with a simple, stumbling kinda riff, over which our Davy adds some brooding licks. But the thing that really grabbed me on that first listen was Knowles’
vocal, which is expressive and emotive, digging into the intriguing lyric and just getting more resonant as the song progresses. The arrangement has ear-catching dynamics, and there’s a thematic guitar break which, on a second turn around the block, opens out into an evocative solo. Put simply, the whole thing works like a charm.
But if the title track is a dark and moody affair, the dominant vibe of the album is actually pretty upbeat, the tone set beautifully by the opener ‘Good To Know Ya’. It’s a lightly funky thing, with brightly skipping guitar and a warm, easy-going vocal from Knowles that delivers an uplifting, open-hearted message about engaging with others: “I’ve never been the kind to walk by without a smile and a wave / And I’ve never understood those who look down their nose all the way”.
‘Around Here’ is also a tune to put a spring in your step, with its briskly revolving, Celtic-sounding riff that points firmly towards his Rory Gallagher influence. It bounces along eagerly, with a catchy melody over a snapping beat from Mike Hansen, and Knowles’ incisive, ducking and diving solo is bracketed by a strong, measured bridge featuring a nice ‘Hey Joe’-like bass line from Tod Bowers before resolving into crashing guitar chords and cymbals. ‘Running Out Of Moonlight’ is snappy stuff too, with its jangling, quick-quick-slow riff and cantering tempo, punctuated by tumbles of drums from Hansen and sporting some zippy rock’n’roll soloing from Knowles.
There are couple of tracks with a relaxed John Mellencamp vibe too, in the swinging ‘All My Life’ with its cheerful guitar refrain, and ‘You Love The Rain’ with its sprightly, chiming guitar belying the title, and another characterful vocal from Knowles in a lower register. And ‘One Wrong Move’, with its spangly twirl-and-stab guitar, even delves into classic guitar-driven pop akin to The Pretenders when they were back on that chain gang.
He still manages to conjure up more variety though. ‘Welcome To The Real World’ starts out languid, with halting chords over a quietly shimmering guitar backdrop for the verses. It climbs into a more emotive chorus with something of a ‘Take Me To The River’ undercurrent, decorated with dabs of mournful guitar, and slows for a romantic guitar solo to polish it further. ‘No More To Weep’ chucks a slow blues into the equation, a darker tune with a low-slung tramp of a riff and another demonstrative, articulate vocal. The aching chorus is embroidered with subtle, counterpointing guitar licks, and Knowles executes a couple of lyrically bluesy solos to put some icing on the cake. Then the closing ‘Wonder You Are’ adds a final touch, a hushed and atmospheric love song centred on acoustic strumming and picking with just strokes of drums and minimal bass, and gilded by delicate slide shadings.
The Invisible Man is a really refreshing listen, for the songwriting, for Knowles’ admirable guitar work, and perhaps especially for the quality and diversity of his vocals, making the most of different styles of song.* Wanna perk up your day? Here’s the very tonic.
The Invisible Man is out now, and can be ordered here.
‘The Invisible Man’ is a slow number with a simple, stumbling kinda riff, over which our Davy adds some brooding licks. But the thing that really grabbed me on that first listen was Knowles’
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| Davy Knowles strolling' the blues |
But if the title track is a dark and moody affair, the dominant vibe of the album is actually pretty upbeat, the tone set beautifully by the opener ‘Good To Know Ya’. It’s a lightly funky thing, with brightly skipping guitar and a warm, easy-going vocal from Knowles that delivers an uplifting, open-hearted message about engaging with others: “I’ve never been the kind to walk by without a smile and a wave / And I’ve never understood those who look down their nose all the way”.
‘Around Here’ is also a tune to put a spring in your step, with its briskly revolving, Celtic-sounding riff that points firmly towards his Rory Gallagher influence. It bounces along eagerly, with a catchy melody over a snapping beat from Mike Hansen, and Knowles’ incisive, ducking and diving solo is bracketed by a strong, measured bridge featuring a nice ‘Hey Joe’-like bass line from Tod Bowers before resolving into crashing guitar chords and cymbals. ‘Running Out Of Moonlight’ is snappy stuff too, with its jangling, quick-quick-slow riff and cantering tempo, punctuated by tumbles of drums from Hansen and sporting some zippy rock’n’roll soloing from Knowles.
There are couple of tracks with a relaxed John Mellencamp vibe too, in the swinging ‘All My Life’ with its cheerful guitar refrain, and ‘You Love The Rain’ with its sprightly, chiming guitar belying the title, and another characterful vocal from Knowles in a lower register. And ‘One Wrong Move’, with its spangly twirl-and-stab guitar, even delves into classic guitar-driven pop akin to The Pretenders when they were back on that chain gang.
He still manages to conjure up more variety though. ‘Welcome To The Real World’ starts out languid, with halting chords over a quietly shimmering guitar backdrop for the verses. It climbs into a more emotive chorus with something of a ‘Take Me To The River’ undercurrent, decorated with dabs of mournful guitar, and slows for a romantic guitar solo to polish it further. ‘No More To Weep’ chucks a slow blues into the equation, a darker tune with a low-slung tramp of a riff and another demonstrative, articulate vocal. The aching chorus is embroidered with subtle, counterpointing guitar licks, and Knowles executes a couple of lyrically bluesy solos to put some icing on the cake. Then the closing ‘Wonder You Are’ adds a final touch, a hushed and atmospheric love song centred on acoustic strumming and picking with just strokes of drums and minimal bass, and gilded by delicate slide shadings.
The Invisible Man is a really refreshing listen, for the songwriting, for Knowles’ admirable guitar work, and perhaps especially for the quality and diversity of his vocals, making the most of different styles of song.* Wanna perk up your day? Here’s the very tonic.
The Invisible Man is out now, and can be ordered here.
*As I suggested in this piece a while back, the singing and the song are really the heart of the matter.
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