Smooth and yet curiously pointed, Bart Davenport’s songs transport us to an imagined past or present filled with romantic odes and enigmatic characters. His Oakland roots are in the blues (his 90s band, The Loved Ones opened for the likes of Junior Wells and John Lee Hooker) but in 2002 Bart went solo, embracing a quieter indie esthetic. Kings of Convenience singer, Erlend Øye has called him the “best one-guy-and-guitar performer there is.” Meanwhile Bart’s studio recordings often reflect his taste for full band arrangements. His self-titled debut blended sunshine pop and Brit folk. He followed that with the Laurel Canyon styled ‘Game Preserve’ (2003) and then the bedroom lo-fi ‘Maroon Cocoon’ (2005). Next came ‘Palaces’ (2008), an album referred to in MOJO as “a fine example of San Fran’s vinyl and thrift shop culture, turning stuff people throw out into something new.” In 2012 Bart released the synthy single ‘Cheap Words’ and relocated to LA, putting together the band that recorded ‘Physical World’ (2014). Pitchfork described it as “sophisticated and cheap-sounding at once, it’s likable within five seconds of hitting your ears.” By 2018 the band, aka Bart & The Bedazzled, issued a follow-up titled ‘Blue Motel,’ produced by Aaron M Olson whose signature sound gave the LP a cinematic, elegant 80s atmosphere. Bart Davenport’s 2022 solo album ‘Episodes’ offers avant-baroque strings, worldly percussion, 12-string riffs, and an overall return to 60s pop and indie lo-fi esthetics.