from: ccm magazine, May 2001
author: David Mackle
website: http://www.ccmmagazine.com

»» Jody Davis

Jody Davis isn't the first member of Newsboys to venture off from the group's sanctuary of success, but he is the first to depart from its modern pop sound. Obviously, the guitarist needed to get some creativity off his chest, shifting into rock that is reminiscent of both the '70s and '80s, liberally using horns and vocally hitting all the high notes.

Davis shows off his vocal range on songs like "Satellite" and "Bleed," projecting his, dare we say, heavy metal voice over the top of instrumentation that often feels like pre-ballad Chicago. Both vocally and instrumentally "Velveteen" echoes the retro rock of Lenny Kravitz (with a fantastic crunching guitar solo) while "Climbing to Your Throne" draws on the late Jeff Buckley, if only slightly. Several capable ballads ("I Can't Get Enough," "Close to You" and Todd Rundgren's "Love Is the Answer") claim their own spaces on the album, as well.

On this record Davis finally puts feet on 10 years worth of writing, and even produces or co-produces each of the disc's 11 tracks, giving him plenty of artistic freedom. All told, this record works.

--David Mackle ««