This Album Changed My Life: Jake Davey on ‘#1s ... and then some’ by Brooks & Dunn

Hailing from the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, country pop singer-songwriter, Jake Davey has been honing his craft in music since the age of 6. Still in his early 20s, Jake is also an accomplished producer who runs his own studio. Following the release of his 2019 debut single On Your Mind, Jake won the 2020 ‘Travis Collins Scholarship’ to attend the CMAA Academy in Tamworth, which lead to his first-ever publishing deal and a collaboration with Golden Guitar winner Kevin Bennett on his second single Think of Me, which debuted at #2 on iTunes. Jake’s latest single is about a woman – full of life and a force to be reckoned with … a free spirit who shines and brings energy to every facet of life – it’s just The Way She Does anything she’s doing.

To get to know Jake a little better, we asked him to tell us about an album that has changed his life.

I first picked up the guitar at the age of 6. My very first influences were Green Day, Pete Murray and Matchbox 20. I didn’t really have a clear musical path that I was heading down as all of the songs I was listening to were so different. I was just happy to take them all in, learn the techniques and let the future unfold.

When it comes to life-changing albums, I have a very distinct memory from when I was 12 years of age. I was fortunate enough to be visiting Fraser Island on a road trip with my dad, where we were spending 2 weeks fishing, camping, four-wheel driving and exploring the sandy paradise.

I’m talking back in the days of the single stack CD player – no Spotify, no Apple Music. Anyway, somehow we forgot to take our CD collection with us and only had the one disc in the car at the time. It just so happened that it was Brooks & Dunn's #1s and then some album – filled with hits like Brand New Man, Ain’t Nothing ‘Bout You, How Long Gone plus other classics! It sure was fitting for a road trip – and the perfect album if you only have one to choose from.

As you can imagine, by the end of those two weeks, I knew every lyric, chord change and damn solo, haha! I even had a stint of busking where I threw in Red Dirt Road. Looking back, I guess that was my not-so-subtle introduction into country music and I loved every minute of it! It certainly made an impression on me.

These days I lean more towards a country-pop sound, so when Brooks & Dunn announced the Reboot album, I was absolutely stoked to hear their collaboration efforts with the likes of Luke Combs, Brett Young, and Kacey Musgraves. Their ability to combine their original sound with new country-pop elements was seamless. It’s a constant reminder to me to always push the boundaries musically.

For more of our This Album Changed My Life series, go here.
And keep up to date with Jake Davey on his Facebook page here.

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