Woot for Moot! Moot Davis, That Is

From the very moment Moot Davis exhales the lyrics “Well they’re lining up outside my door to get a look at me…” from the first song of his self-titled, debut album, the listener can’t help feel his honky-tonk style is reminiscent of the late Hank Williams. That’s a good thing, there’s really not a whole lot we can find wrong with this album. A press release from his record label, Little Dog Records, gives Davis’ background:

At an early age, Moot displayed an interest in both music and acting. After high school, he did stints as a laborer and pool builder while focusing his efforts on his musical career, eventually moving to New York City. Moot was soon heard by Fred Boenig who ran WDVR-FM, a local radio station out of Sergeantsville , NJ. There, Moot was featured on a live weekly hillbilly radio show called “Heartlands Hayride.” Boenig also helped Moot record his first real demo.

In 2001 Moot moved to Nashville to pursue his career. There, he continued honing his own brand of contemporary roots music and started sending out demos. Eventually, one of his recordings landed in the lap of Little Dog Records. One listen and everyone at the label was hooked. Exactly one year after moving to Nashville, Moot found himself on a plane to Los Angeles to make a record with multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning producer Pete Anderson.

The result is a tight ten-song album consisting entirely of Davis-penned tunes. Under the direction of Anderson, the music jumps out of the speakers, presenting Moot’s classic honky-tonk fare with an in-your-face honesty that let’s the listener know this is the real thing. His record has landed on a variety of critics’ Top Ten list and he was recently named Honky-Tonk Artist of the Year by “True West” magazine. Moot’s music was also featured in the Academy Award-winning film “Crash,” starring Sandra Bullock, Ludacris, Brendan Fraser, Don Cheadle, and Matt Dillon. Two other of Davis’ songs are included in Wes Craven’s hit horror movie, “The Hills Have Eyes.”

In an industry where the line between today’s country and pop is becoming increasingly blurred, Davis is a breath of fresh air.