The Round Table

Louisiana rockers, Benjy Davis Project are offering a free digital download of their sampler “Paper Trails.”  For a limited time, fans can download the album for free, yes, free via Amazon.

“Paper Trails” features 11 songs from various Benjy Davis Project albums plus a previously-unreleased track, “Raining In Me.” The full track list is as follow:

“Check Your Pockets” (from “Lost Souls Like Us”)
“Sweet Southern Moon” (from “Dust”)
“Mississippi” (from “Lost Souls Like Us”)
“The Day That I Die” (from “More Than Local”)
“Green and Blue” (from “Dust”)
“No More Pills” (from “More Than Local”)
“She Ain’t Got Love” (from “The Angie House”)
“214” (from “The Angie House”)
“Same Damn Book” (from “Dust”)
“Raining In Me” (unreleased)
“Stay With Me” (edit, from “Lost Souls Like Us”)

You can also catch BDP on tour through October, check their official site for tour dates.

Although we’re still early into 2010, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I’ve been anxiously awaiting the latest release Lost Souls Like Us from Benjy Davis Project. With anticipation like that, I guess it’s fairly easy to be disappointed with the final outcome. Don’t get me wrong, Lost Souls Like Us isn’t a bad album, per se, it’s just not overall representative of what I was expecting from BDP after the well-rounded, emotionally stellar Dust. And it certainly doesn’t live up to the high bar set by lead single “Stay With Me” a mandolin-driven song about love with room for interpretation, whether in the moment or reflection, with intensely personal lyrics written by Benjy Davis himself.

The album opens with “Mississippi,” a pretty safe ode to the wandering road-life as only a young musician can paint. It’s followed up by the light-hearted “Get High” that the college kids are sure to eat up. While these tracks aren’t necessarily throwaways, they’re also not particularly memorable, which seems to be the issue with the album until the midway point where things start to come to life.

Aside from “Stay With Me,” which is one of our favorite songs hands down, “Slow Wind” is beautifully reflective where Davis shines both vocally as well as lyrically. “Check Your Pockets” brings some good ol’ sunny southern rock courtesy of the guys’ Louisiana roots, which is sure to have you singing along to.

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