Detroit-based rabbi, writer, and musician Ethan Daniel Davidson speaks from the most intimate corners of Americana and folk music with his fourteenth studio album, Lear. Released on Blue Arrow Records, the album serves as a spiritual companion to Cordelia, which came out earlier in the year. In this work, Davidson pours his life experiences into the notes as if drawing fresh water from a well.
A Pain Rising from Mississippi: Recorded in just three days at the legendary Zebra Ranch studio with live performances and minimal overdubs, Lear—shaped under the production of Luther Dickinson and David Katznelson—evokes the characteristic “ache” and depth of Neil Young’s cult album On the Beach. Davidson’s voice acts like a wise guide mapping out a new path to take in every song.
An Incredible Lineup: Davidson is joined on the album by giants such as drummer Marco Giovino (who has worked with Robert Plant and John Cale), pedal steel legend Rayfield “Ray Ray” Holloman, and bassist Byron House. Additionally, Duane Betts—the son of Allman Brothers legend Dickey Betts—contributes guitar on “Not Breaking Hearts,” while we hear Alvin Youngblood Hart’s vocals on “How Can One Keep Warm.”
Cinematic and Classic: The album’s opening track, “Stop Breaking Down,” offers an elegant nod to classics like Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” and Hank Williams’s “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” The Shakespearean thread running throughout (via Lear and Cordelia) transforms Davidson’s literary depth into a musical anthem. Each song becomes a stop where sincerity and mastery converge.
A Note from Apartment No: 26
Combining the wisdom of a rabbi with the raw energy of a folk troubadour places Davidson in a unique position in the contemporary Americana scene.
The fact that the album was recorded live in three days lends the music that “immediate” and imperfect beauty—nothing feels artificial.
If you love Neil Young’s melancholic acoustic periods or Bob Dylan’s storytelling, this album will become indispensable for your winter evenings.
