Posted on: July 30, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 1

Regardless of whether individuals are familiar with the work of Gee Davey, the one thing that can be said is that the band is dedicated. Over the course of the last five years, Gee Davey has came to the plate four times – 2003’s “Dear Theo”, 2005’s “Sparticle” EP, 2006’s “Sparticle” LP, and “She Sells Smiles”, the latest effort of the band. “Say Another Prayer” leads off this EP, and listeners will be immediately buffeted by intense guitar riffs. The style of music that Gee Davey creates during “She Sells Smiles” is difficult to categorize: there are hints of acts like Temple of the Dog, Incubus, and even hits of Fu Manchu and Monster Magnet present. While the drums and vocals are impressive enough on this introductory track, the guitars stand out beyond that, shredding with an intensity that equals that of a Dimebag Darrell or a Kirk Hammett.

“Last Song” is a track that withdraws from a straight hard rock/metal sound and moves Gee Davey towards a “Spoonman”-era Soundgarden or Foo Fighters type of approach. The drums rise to ascendency during this track, playing perfectly off the diverse array of guitar lines that are presented listeners during this track. While the average fan of hard rock will easily find something that they can appreciate on “She Sells Smiles”, Gee Davey is able to speak to a wider array of fans. This is due to the fact that the band puts together all six “She Sells Smiles” tracks together perfectly: there is no dissonance, no bum notes, and no weak arrangements to be had here. In that sense, Gee Davey is similar to Andrew WK. However, unlike Andrew WK, there is some significant differentiation to be had during the tracks on “She Sells Smiles”.

If individuals want to hear pure out party rock, they can turn on “Last Song” or the title track. If they want something a little more intricate and fulfilling, all they need to do is play “Beautiful You”. The band is flexible and can easily bring any number of different influences and genres to bear. Through all of these stylistic shifts and changes, listeners will begin to understand the allure of Gee Davey. The act is not about creating music just to be famous: they honestly want to create the best music which they are capable. They do just that on their “She Sells Smiles”, and they will likely gain an entire army of converts when listeners are able to pick up on the band’s special brand of rock music. If you like any rock, whether it be Van Halen, System of a Down, or even something like Matthew Sweet, search out a copy of “She Sells Smiles”.

Top Track: LOLing

Rating: 9.0/10

Gee Davey – She Sells Smiles / 2008 Self / 6 Tracks / http://www.geedavey.com /

1 people reacted on this

  1. hey, this is dj from gee davey, just wanted to thank you for the positive review. positive? hell… fantastic review.
    it’s really stuff like this that makes it worth doing the stufff we do. thank you!

    rock your dog!
    ~dj / gee davey

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