The Benjy Davis Project leaves interest in the Dust

‘ ‘ ‘ The track list of a properly crafted sleep mix will taper off gently toward the end,… ‘ ‘ ‘ The track list of a properly crafted sleep mix will taper off gently toward the end, eventually boring the listener to sleep with sheer mildness. The Benjy Davis Project is music for the end of that mix. ‘ ‘ ‘ Throughout the course of its 13 tracks, The Benjy Davis Project’s fourth album Dust is the type of music that ends up in the background no matter what else is going on. Anything else. ‘ ‘ ‘ Benjy Davis provides the lead vocals, acoustic guitar and electric guitar, as well as writing or co-writing every track. ‘ ‘ ‘ Originally formed as a folk-rock duo in Baton Rouge, La., in 2001, the group expanded its influences as well as its membership, creating a sound blending multiple styles with its original Southern roots. ‘ ‘ ‘ Contradicting the intrinsic narcissism of a self-titled band, The Benjy Davis Project’s compositions have a sincere, unassuming tone to them, conjuring the nostalgia of Southern childhoods and adolescences. Davis’ vocals, though not necessarily impressive in and of themselves, are well suited to the music. ‘ ‘ ‘ The lyrics come across as honest and heartfelt but are hardly enthralling, lacking any particularly clever wording or evidence that the band wrote them to be sung. ‘ ‘ ‘ Most songs discuss either bittersweet memories, mainly concerning various combinations of girls loved and joints smoked, or express contentment in uninteresting romantic relationships. ‘ ‘ ‘ The combined effect creates an album with all emotional highs and lows. The instrumentals are of about the same intensity, blending together in a monotonous tempo largely devoid of catchy riffs or melodies. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I Love You’s’ unimaginative title matches the creativity of its lyrics ‘mdash; ‘I love you deeper than I can swim / Feel my lungs caving in.’ The melody ‘mdash; though simple ‘mdash; is pleasant and alluring, but doesn’t quite redeem the track. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Good Enough’ tries to express heartfelt romance but instead focuses on the most mundane details. Lyrics like ‘Pull into the drive / Get out of the car / Hear the sound of the dogs bark from inside / We let them out / Let ’em back in’ don’t capture the emotional intensity that Davis’ voice tries to lay into them. ‘ ‘ ‘ Although perhaps any relationship that can be at best described as ‘a whole lot better than good enough’ is of questionable caliber to begin with. ‘ ‘ ‘ One of the more engaging tracks, ‘Same Damn Book,’ has solid beats and some of the album’s better lyrics, such as ‘We’re never on the same page, baby / Never even in the same damn book’ and ‘I’ll never live up / To all of the things that I can’t live down.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Dust has several moments of charm and a certain unapologetic honesty that isn’t unappealing. Still, it might leave you thinking that you ought to put some music on only to realize that the album’s been playing along meekly for the past twenty minutes, and you haven’t really noticed. It’s ideal for sleeping through.