What Happens Next

On his aptly-titled Mascot Records debut, What Happens Next, roots singer-songwriter and guitarist Davy Knowles boldly steps forward with timeless and cohesive songwriting; sleek modern production; and a lyrical, play-for-the-song guitar approach informed from soul, folk, rock, and blues. The 12-song album is just as influenced by The Black Keys, Fantastic Negrito, Gary Clark Jr., as it is Muddy Waters, Junior Kimbrough, and R.L. Burnside. It is a cohesive body of work rather than a collection of disparate songs. On What Happens Next, Knowless poetic songwriting, and his soulfully emotive singing steal the show. The 12-song body of work offers forth a peaks-and-valleys album experience winding through brawny riffs, jazzy blues balladry, and vintage soul before concluding with one of Knowless most personal songs released to date. Throughout it all, his guitar playing is brilliantly understated, his rhythm work is deft and dynamicbeefy on the rockers, and subtly supportive on the slower tunesand his leads are economical but feature juicy blues bends and thick as molasses lead guitar tones.