Benjy Davis Project showing its southern side with <i>Lost Souls Like Us</i>

High school. Sophomore year. Second period chemistry class. I stagger in and take up a 55-minute residence in my usual spot at the end of a third row of tables next to my good friend Liz. We make small talk for the few moments before the bell rings signaling the beginning of class. About 20 minutes later, Liz scribbles something in her lab book. She rips off the corner piece of paper and slides it to her right: “The Day that I Die, Benjy Davis Project.”

That was my introduction to a band that would eventually come to shape my musical surroundings. Flash forward seven years and five albums/EPs later. After Dave Matthews Band, Benjy Davis Project is one of the few bands that I’ve stuck with over a 5+ year period, in spite of some questionable songs and mediocre albums — and changing tastes on my part. It’s a shame I don’t have a concert ticket of theirs to add to the dozens (and dozens) of stubs on my messenger boards. So, make this a call to action to the folk-rock duo themselves if they (or someone from Rock Ridge Music) stumbles upon this: Benjy, Mic: Come to Florida more! Work permitting, I will be making that 4-hour, round trip drive to Jacksonville on Wednesday, May 19 to catch them at Jack Rabbits — oh, the things you do as a fan — but it would be nice to have some options.

But the reason I write is not because of a desperate plea to see some good music east of Alabama, although I can’t say that didn’t factor in some, especially after reading about the power of social networking linking fans and reuniting bands. It’s new album time.

Released back in March, Lost Souls Like Us is Benjy Davis Project’s fourth studio, following what I like to think was one of their best album’s to date. Dust was a big step, in the right direction, for Benjy Davis Project. It was something like I’ve never heard before. Pre-Dust, while it gave us “Louisiana Saturday Night,” was almost too focused on the bayou. If you weren’t from the Cajun state, you likely didn’t understand half their songs. Dust changed that.

Naturally, there were some big shoes to fill, and I didn’t think they could do it. Why? It’s strictly formula based. Statistically speaking, a band rides on the success of a good album far too long and craps out on the f0llow up. If not leveraged properly, a good album is one of the worst things that could happen to a nearly nationally known band. BDP didn’t fall into this trap.

While Lost Souls Like Us certainly flows similarly to its predecessor(s) — the opener “Mississippi” has the same longing feel as “When I Go Home,” and “Get High” is a mixture of Dust’s “Sweet Southern Moon” and the throwback “The Day that I Die” from More Than Local — it’s obvious the band let loose when making this album. My personal faves: “Send Your Love Down,” “Bite My Tongue,” and “Stream.” These Baton Rouge bandmates carried the same homegrown, catchy lyrics from Dust to Lost Souls Like Us, which exudes talent, creativity, but above all, passion. It’s an album suitable for shuffle, although I’ve always been a proponent of listening to an album in the order it was delivered. Either way, these guys know how to speak to their fans and do so in a way that makes you think they’ve lived your life right along side of you.

The verdict: Your iTunes collection isn’t complete without it.

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