Bob Davoli - Longing for Afterglow (2025)

BobKat – Bob Davoli & Kathleen Parks – Longing For Afterglow

In order to appreciate this, a listener needs to accept the whispery thin vocals of Bob Davoli & Kathleen Parks. That’s apparent. What comes through then is the sincerity in their voices. “Longing” has character & charm. Kathleen parallels Bob’s voice like an adolescent & she does an admirable job. “Everything But Me” is better. It’s more vocally realized, yet it seems their style is almost always a whispered approach & not an inability to hit notes.

If I were to compliment them with the risk of criticizing, I’d describe the songs as Hallmark-inspired. Yet, the songs aren’t sugary, silly, or melodramatic. The music is well played & arranged; the lyrics are occasionally wooden & awkward. Kathleen’s vocals accompany Bob’s voice engagingly. A calming effect dominates the compositions. Produced by Joe Henry in Acton, MA, some musicians were recorded remotely. There are 12 attempts on goal for Longing For Afterglow.

There’s nothing here that rocks. It’s mostly balladry. But not quite Kenny Rankin. The duo seems to aim at pulling heartstrings & succeeds. Not an easy task in songwriting. Not everyone’s Paul McCartney. Songs like “Great Big Puffy Cloud” have good intentions, but they’re too wordy. The reason poetry is seldom good lyrics. “Ragged armchair, light a cigarette…” is just too many 2 & 3-syllable words strung together.

The superb Kathleen violin creates a wholesome, warm, homey effect & the tunes never sink, just drift. Bob has a quality in his song approach. “Elusive Underbellies” is a good, mature tune in a Mark-Almond tradition. When a voice sings as Bob Davoli does, you could sing like Mark-Almond’s late lead singer Jon Mark (“Everybody Needs a Friend,” “What Am I Living For”). Mark used his limited range to great effect. This song is played exceptionally well. But in my opinion the title of the song & vocal intonation to get that title out doesn’t work as well as it should. “Life Is a Beautiful Sunrise” is the hook. Kathleen’s angelic voice & violin are always excellent. The duo sings well together. Jon Mark (a classical guitarist) would economically turn this otherwise lovely Davoli melody into a memorable piece. There are good themes & ideas here.