The Kansas born and bred Davis began traveling
around the Midwest, singing and performing at the age of 14 and soon headed off
to Nashville’s Belmont University where she immersed herself not only in music
culture but also in Irish, British, and Latin literature. Not long after she
would pursue and earn her graduate degree from the Irish World Academy of Music
and Dance, under the direction of Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin and would then head
off to an Artist in Residence position on the Isle of Man. Then, interestingly
enough, the artist found herself drawn to Sin City by Michael Flatley in 2010
as she was the featured soloist for “Lord of the Dance.”
Night
Travels is the artist’s fourth release and marks a shift
for the vocalist and songwriter, as she shares, “On my other albums I would
have been more cerebral, more academic. This one I really let go and allowed
myself to understand that sometimes simplicity is elegance."
The term “simplicity” here is misleading, however,
as it’s a term that fails to capture the grace and beauty that Davis brings to
the recording.
That beauty begins right from the start as Davis
duets with Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek fame on “His Bride I’ll Be,” acoustic
strings and emotive fiddle notes framing the stunning vocals as Davis delivers
a tale of whimsy and love. “I’ll Follow You (Leanain Thu)” taps even deeper
into the singer’s Irish love, lush guitar work providing the space for her
soulful and ethereal vocal delivery to shine. She then joins with Irish guitar
great John Doyle to deliver a painfully bittersweet version of the traditional
classic, “Barbara Allen.”
The title track follows, laden with fiddle reels and
more of Davis’s sensitive vocals while “The Blackest Crow” is reminiscent of
work by Alison Krauss. Fiddler Eileen Ivers makes an appearance on the
hauntingly beautiful “With You Love,” the ethereal elements recalling Loreena
McKennitt as “In The Blue” samples from both Irish and Americana camps, the
piano notes lovingly accented by accordion fills.
Moya Brenna is Davis’ guest on “Beside You Near,” a
song the artist crafted specifically to highlight her friend and mentor’s voice
and it does that and more, proving to be one of the definite highlights of the record.
“Alone With Me” is another strong track, largely in that it’s a bit of a
departure from the rest of the album, bridging into a touch of country yet
still tinged with Celtic leanings. Davis then closes things out with “Horses”
and the almost theatrical “Dreams Will Come.” It’s the type of track that feels
as though it’d fit perfectly into a musical and that seemingly tells the story
of Davis’ life, of a life that’s had her dreams come true.
Ashley Davis has worked hard to achieve the status
that she’s achieved and it’s all well-deserved. Night Travels highlights an artist who continues to grow in her
craft, writing compelling and heartfelt songs and delivering them with not only
poise, but passion. Ashley Davis is the real deal and for fans of Celtic
flavored sounds, this is one journey you’ll want to join up with.
