Matthew Davies at Forager Brewery

Milwaukee singer-songwriter Matthew Davies could easily be a study in the fungability of genre. As a solo performer with acoustic guitar and rack harmonica, he could be pinned down as a folkie. Add even a couple more acoustic instruments, as often heard on his fourth album, Flowers and Ticket Stubs, and he inhabits a curiously satisfying space between soft adult-rock and Americana.

Clean, unfussy production suits Davies’ youthful, earnest vocal timbre, but there are a couple of points during these eight songs when his subtle approach could benefit from at least a touch of sonic boldness. Still, as a document from a melodically winsome romantic, Flowers compels on Davies’ own understated terms. His is an unpretentiously commercial sound that, with the right conspiracy of circumstances, could elevate him from curbsides and coffeehouses to even greater stages. -Jamie Lee Rake (Shepherd Express)

www.matthewdaviesmusic.com