Jon Christopher Davis (Palo Duro, 2006)

Singer-songwriter Jon Christopher Davis offers up 13 tracks (one "hidden") on his label debut, including 6 from an earlier CD, “Lone Star Attitude.” The redundancy doesn't end there. Who is Davis? Sort of a Jack Ingram knockoff with elements of The Eagles. He sounds a little like Adam Duritz of Counting Crows and includes a song on the disc called "Round Here." No, not the early Counting Crows hit. He even borrows the metaphor from the George Jones-Tammy Wynette hit "Two Story House" with the transparently titled "Two Story Town."

Davis has worked with established artists like Sherrié Austin, Hal Ketchum and Dolly Parton, while Radney Foster and Rodney Crowell extol his range of talents. But for now, Davis - who boasts an able voice and bold arrangements - seems to have stalled on competence rather than compelling message. He touches on all the requisite elements, including references to Elvis and Gary P. Nunn; he just doesn't seem to have anything fresh, anything all his own, to say.

It's not till the final official track, "I Don't Care," and the ghost track, "If I Could Only Fly," that Davis seems to etch the outlines of a real message. Maybe that comes on his next outing.