Man of the minute (year?) Seven Davis Jr. nonchalantly dropped a belting five tracker this week via Funkineven’s Apron imprint, reminding the early faithful of his indisputable array of talents and quickly bagging himself a bunch of new fans to boot.
Across the quintet of tracks the titular “P.A.R.T.Y.” ramps up the excitement with its lethargic Prince-isms and hints of Peven Everett vocal trickery, while elsewhere on the EP Apron’s boss takes a turn at re-fixing “Celebrations” turning it into a Motor City style club anthem, however the beauty and brilliance in Seven Davis Jr.’s arrangement is his ability to intertwine his stylish influences with celestial keys, elaborate reaches for modern day boogie and its intimate percussive tricks and even abstract touches of Brit Funk into something immeasurably warm, sincere and welcoming – a visceral completeness if you like.
The pre-orders on this record were already stating the now all too common ‘one per customer’ restriction at many leading UK record shops due in part to the success of his previous outing for Must Have Records, but also doubtlessly in relation to the word-of-mouth hype that has been surrounding his slow burning charisma and apparent readiness to convert all comers. And his moment in the sun is most certainly deserved, for over a decade he’s been quietly honing his craft in the shadows – in 2014 it’s laid bare for us all to bask in.