Stephen Tyler Davis

Tweet this article !

Stephen Tyler Davis’s Dionysian romp of a show at The Iridium on May 30, 2009, displayed his witty, erudite songwriting in addition to his versatile, affecting vocalizing. From the opening gospel rave-up, “Run Freedom Run,” to the probing intellectual – musical tour de force of an encore “I Wasted All My Emotions in a Play,”

it was apparent that Mr. Davis is a remarkably fearless and engaging talent of the first order. Six of the songs he sang at The Iridium are from his current work in progress, The Worst Day, although he facetiously suggested that the last word in the title was a typo, which should have had a “G” instead of a “D.”

A tune of extraordinary merit, “Shakespeare Is Speechless,” penned by Mr. Davis along with his co-author Taylor Bridges, was written in the form of a sonnet; and performed as a duet with Heather Shields. Mr. Davis and Ms. Shields are a superior vocal duo, known to be the foremost interpreters of Cole Porter of their generation. A CD or cabaret of their duets would be most welcomed.

Mr. Davis’ skill as a lyricist is matched by his singing. He seems equally comfortable in every pop style, from jazzy swing, to sweet soul music, to sing along party favorites. His performing always conveys an outsized joie de vivre that is infectious. His ability to work a crowd into a new frenzy, without resorting to patently insincere clichés, is a testament to his open-heartedness – the incremental erosion of which is the subject of his profound lament, “I Wasted All My Emotions in a Play.”

In this Broadway-ready masterpiece, Mr. Davis anatomizes in excruciating detail the unintended human consequences faced by the serious acting student. These consequences include a loss of compassion and common consideration for others. In the song, the protagonist is aware of the price his dedication to his art extracts from him; not all practitioners share this awareness, as the biographies of many monumentally self-absorbed stars demonstrate.

Mr. Davis’s more introspective efforts are supplemented, not only by his great facility with cover tunes, but by his self-deprecating wit, which was especially prominent in “Purple Lunch Box” –a number about the pain of having been fat (difficult to imagine in this case). In this song, when the protagonist attempts to mollify his guilt-ridden mother in a coming out scene, he entertains a heretical thought: “Well, what if she did have something to do with it? What if it was that purple lunch box she gave me on the way to kindergarten?” The song is actually a hilarious meditation on quasi-ancient controversies in the sociological and psychological dream worlds, set to an early sixties Phil Spectorish, girl-group, harmony-drenched extravaganza.

Mr. Davis generously shared the stage with a wide array of his gifted friends. Particularly notable in this respect, was the mellow richness of Hunter Caine’s acoustic guitar accompaniment on a haunting lullaby tenderly sung by Mr. Davis. Mr. Caine demonstrated the sort of sensitivity to musical circumstance, and nuanced responsiveness that all too often eludes a considerable majority of guitarists.

For those who have seen Kenny Green in action at the keyboard before, it was no surprise that his accompaniment was not merely flawless, but inspiring.

Alysha Umphress guested as a vocalist on “Bring Me My Daddy with that Big Long Sliding Thing.” Her velvet growl recalls the primal mastery of the iconic female blues shouter Bessie Smith. Ms. Umphress then dueted with Mr. Davis on the swing chestnut “Goody Goody,” which showed both performers seemingly effortless mastery of jazzy roller coaster rides.

Mr. Davis deserves much success. Let’s hope he gets it.

*EDITOR'S NOTE: Stephen Tyler Davis continues to wow us here at NiteLife Exchange with his versatility - He was recently seen in the Halloween Extravaganza at the Iridium, October 30, 2009 performing Sondheim's "A Little Priest." The photo here is his portrayal of Mrs. Lovett with Eric Engelhardt as Sweeney Todd