Bart Davenport might be a multitude of things, depending on whom you ask. He’s been a mod, a blues singer and a soft-rock troubadour. He’s an eclectic singer/songwriter with the timeless voice of a real crooner. He lives and creates music in Los Angeles. Smooth and yet curiously pointed, his work transports us to an imagined past or present filled with romantic odes and enigmatic characters.

Davenport’s stories are often a reflection of now, taking place in a fantasy world but conveying personal and universal truths. Returning to acoustic guitars and ’60s baroque pop tones, Davenport recently tracked 12 new songs in his home studio. The resulting Episodes marks his eighth proper album. It’s out March 25 on Tapete Records.

Here is a recent Q&A conducted with Davenport’s new single “Alice Arrives,” which appears on Episodes and premieres exclusively on the Big Takeover today.

“Alice Arrives” has a more acoustic feel than some of your recent work. Was that planned?

BART: After two whole albums featuring ’80s electric guitar sounds, I needed a change. I hadn’t done this sort of folky, finger-picked guitar thing in years. I was inspired by Shannon Lay. I’d been in the audience for two of the concerts recorded for her live album [2000’s _ Live at Zebulon_]. Her fresh take drew me back to that sort of traditional right-hand picking, made me want to compose something in that vein again. I tried to channel a bit of Bert Jansch in the chord movement.

It’s also your first use of strings in a long time. How did that come about?

BART: After working with Dina Maccabee in the Red Room Orchestra, I really wanted to collaborate with her, utilizing her talents as a violist and string arranger. We had to work remotely, each in our separate studios. This turned out to be a blessing in that Dina was able to do something totally original with minimal input from me. The result is everything I wanted: baroque-sounding here, yet playful and modern there. Dina also multi-tracked violas on the song “Billionaires” elsewhere on the album.

So what is “Alice Arrives” about?

BART: “Alice” is the sort of friend whose arrival is highly anticipated, that person in your life who comes in like a whirlwind and takes you out dancing or for a bike ride. It’s about hoping someone or something will come along and shake you out of your doldrums. It’s wishful thinking because she’s no angel and could easily turn her back on you. Still, we’re all hoping for the best, right?

Check out the Big Takeover’s exclusive premiere stream of “Alice Arrives”:

For more on Bart Davenport and his new album, Episodes, go here:

Profile page on Tapete Records’ website
Artist website