The Evolution of Love—A New CD From Local Musician Josi Davis

 Connecticut musician Josi Davis will release her first full-length original album, The Evolution of Love, on February 23, 2013, 7:00 p.m. at Old Orchard Farm, 22A Scott Rd. in East Lyme.

The Evolution of Love is a long-awaited collection of musings that take the listener through the tortuous trials and triumphs of finding, foregoing, and, ultimately, embracing love. The CD merges Davis’s raw, poignant lyrics with the talents of area musicians.

“The Evolution of Love is an enchanting full-circle tale, from everything we learned in kindergarten through awkward adolescence, parental pitfalls, the delights of divorce, mastering true love, and the art of the perfect meal,” explains Davis.

Davis recorded the CD in 18 studio hours – a single weekend – at PWOP! Studios in New London, Conn. The tracks are live, with only minor additions of harmonies and percussion layered in during final production.

Davis credits the depth and intensity of the finished product to the passion and talent of the musicians with whom she played.

“The inspiration and skill that filled the room on those days in the studio is obvious inThe Evolution of Love's impressive result,” says Davis. “Listeners will be thrilled by the raw energy and emotive performances.” 

The Evolution of Love release party will re-create the recording experience, with the album's original players on hand to play.

Musicians involved with the project include: Josi Davis (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano); John Van Ness (drums, vocals, percussion); Dan Solomons (bass); William Light (guitar); Bert Coburn (bass); Chris Leigh (guitar); Rufus "BabyGrand" Davis (piano); Anthony Cafiero (organ); Mike Frishman (bass); Doug Woolverton (trumpet); Carl Franklin (guitar); and Dan Shafner.

Tickets for the event are $15 at the door. Snacks will be provided, with beer and wine available for purchase. Information is available at www.josiwails.com.

About Josi Davis

Josi Davis has been performing since she was 12. Her first role was as the mischievous Puck onstage at Washington D.C.'s Folger Theater Student Shakespeare Festival. She has continued to perform musically and on film and stage since getting hooked on sonnets. 

She has explored firefighting, politics, and piano tuning, but took the leap of faith in 2009, making songwriting, performance and instruction her primary profession. Josi enjoys her work and offers a powerful voice and dynamic range that shine in the passionate delivery of her own songs, and in an inspired repertoire of influences from Bach to Bacharach and beyond.

Josi was born into a family of music makers and, encouraged by many great teachers and artists, has earned degrees in Music, Mistakes, Mischief and Motherhood from several American and European cities. Josi grew up in the Washington, D.C., area, and has courageously forged a life of music and performance from Seattle to Baltimore, and most recently in New England. 

Josi won the first ever BETSY award for her performance of her original "Believe," twice garnering an opening role for Bill Cosby. Josi has performed at the Boston Folk Festival, the New York Singer/Songwriter Festival, and is thrilled to have been asked to join an amazing roster of players at the 1st Annual Mystic Blues Festival this June.

She has shared the stage with Sloan Wainwright, Josh White Jr., Guy Davis, and jazz great Giacomo Gates, and an amazing circle of musicians she is honored to work with every day. Josi has logged hundreds of studio hours, both as a vocalist and musician, instructor, arranger, writer and in production.

Included in her discography of published work is the jazz album "String Theory," recorded with Chris Leigh and Mike Frishman, fellow faculty at Niantic's String Theory School of Music, in 2009. She has several self-released recordings of original work, including the EPs "Five" and "Boot Cut," and most recently "The Evolution of Love," her debut full-length recording of 12 original songs from her show of the same name. 

Since her summer as a Mark Fusco Scholar/Fellow at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's Cabaret and Performance Conference in 2008, Josi has written and performed two other original shows. The Evolution of Love is her third.

I have heard writers call songs their children. None will ever come close to the endearing complexities of a young human, but I am enamored of the life a song becomes. How its conception often belongs, not to me, but to the muse. How time and perception change its meaning. How interpretation can both alter and validate its intention. How, when more love is poured in, more magic comes out. And how, as we allow ourselves to be touched by the minds and hearts of others, so we become... better songs.