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The J Davis Trio
These Things Happen
Yo-Yo Smuggler Records
Filled with creeping jazz lines, street-smart poetry and wandering trumpet fills, The J. Davis Trio's These Things Happen is a playful album that mixes raw candor with wry intelligence. Equal parts urban angst and pop culture worship, These Things Happen is brimming with sophistication and wit. The coolheaded slow motion rap of "Hindsight Is Awesome" may be the only song to ever reference Dr. Zhivago and Miami Vice ("Keep my friends tight like Tubbs and Crockett.") The smoldering "Do You Mind If We Dance Wif Yo Dates?" finds Davis remembering out loud, "I used to breakdance for my high school assembly" while the percussive hustle of "Brezway" just like the singer intones, "feels just right like a good pair of denim." As likable as De La Soul and as plugged in as A Tribe Called Quest or The Jungle Brothers, The J. Davis Trio are an outfit of great range and depth. From the socially conscious "The Court Is Now In Session" to the rousing "Upright" this is one of the most refreshing albums of the year. "The JDT is coming here to take over the mothership," Davis promises. Well, someone has to...
—Alex Green
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