Mikaela Davis

With the addition of backing band Southern Star, harpist and songwriter Mikaela Davis embraces deeper rivulets of ‘70s pop and folk. Her second album pushes away from the indie inclinations of her debut, Delivery, and in the process embraces a more timeless sound that’s picking through cosmic country swells, Canyon folk, and an AOR grandiosity that feels as expansive as the band itself has become. Touching on her move to the Catskills, the album embraces a verdant strain that soaks into their sound, perhaps most evident on the single “Home In The Country.” The pliable Americana impulses have been informing the band’s live show lately, finding songs turning into sprawling jams on stage, peppering sets as often with originals as with hand-picked clusters of Dead covers. While the album is certainly more buttoned down than the stage show, the spirit that’s informed them under the lights is caught on tape as well.

The harp often seems relegated to more traditional forms of folk, finding more modern purchase within the UK-inflected traditionals from P.G. Six or the classically-draped works of Mary Lattimore. Davis, however, allows the instrument to sit into the mix as naturally as any elegant guitar solo, dappling a bit of crystal sparkle onto the Fleetwood meets Carole King moments on “Promise,” and “The Pearl.” There’s a deeper strain on And Southern Star, though. Something that pushes the songs past pop shadows and resonates through the listener. The heat-cured groove of “Don’t Stop Now,” breaks into heady leads. Likewise the vibes get loose and limber around the mid-section of “Leave It Alone,” but under Davis’ gaze the songs find a way to choogle and charm, giving the Cosmic American heft a pop ballast that’s neither lost in the clouds nor rolling in the dust too long. The album feels like a turning point for the songwriter and I hope that its just the beginning of this path.