There are some stories in this industry that weigh you down and some that lift you up. Harold Heath’s profile of Seven Davis Jr published December is one that I’m exceptionally proud to have published in 5 Mag last year. Every artist interview seems to come down to variations on two questions — “What do you care about?” and “What pisses you off?” — and Seven talked frankly about them both.
As a musician but particularly as a vocalist, Seven bares his heart in the same way. There is strength and a vulnerability in his music, the two feed off one another and exist symbiotically and we look to our true artists to share the struggle between them with us.
“One” is the title and the title track of Seven Davis Jr’s debut on his “relaunched” Secret Angels imprint. The title track is the original version of “One,” the rough-edged and big-hearted neo-soul track that seemingly everyone was leading sets off with when it dropped 8 years ago. “Kisses” is one of two tracks on here “recorded between 1999 and 2011.” I don’t know who first said that Romanthony wrote “the best Prince songs not written by Prince” but “Kisses” from Seven Davis Jr belongs in that conversation. This is funky, fresh and fantastic. And after listening to another unreleased track — “We Should Go Out” — you start to wonder how many more unreleased gems are stuck on old burned out Dell laptops in Seven Davis Jr’s storage shed. There’s also the wobbly, tape-addled “original demo instrumental” of “Thanks” listed as being made “circa 1999.”
Seven Davis, Jr.: One (Special Edition) (Secret Angels / April 2021 / 12″ Vinyl/Digital)
1. Seven Davis, Jr.: One (Original Version) (06:52)
2. Seven Davis, Jr.: Kisses (06:09)
3. Seven Davis, Jr.: We Should Go Out (02:40)
4. Seven Davis, Jr.: Thanks (Original Demo Instrumental) (04:56)
⚪️ Disclosure Statement: This record was submitted as a promo by Hype Filter.
This was originally published in 5 Mag issue 188: Rising with South African duo Black Motion, Chicago’s Dance Loud, Detroit vocalist Nikki O, Angel Moraes & more. Support 5 Mag by becoming a member for just $1 per issue.
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