Instead of alternating lead vocals, Davis and Birkenbeuel choose mostly to harmonize with one another. It’s not an entirely new dynamic, but it’s a fresh twist (and a successful one). The terrain of their songs is dusty and lonesome. These are songs made for driving the open road after love has reached the end of the road. Yet the tone is kept light and airy with soothing pop melodies with just the right amount of countrification. Notable contributions to this end are made by guest artists such as percussionist Gerald Dowd and bassist Steve Rodby.
The songs are kept short (15 tracks in 45 minutes), meaning that the album is never tempted to overstay its welcome. There are no sprawling instrumentals or epic ballads (the longest song doesn’t even hit the four minute mark). This is all the more impressive considering Davis and Birkenbeuel also function as producers and arrangers, yet there is not the extra fat or frills that some artist/producers would have unknowingly left intact.
If there is any complaint to be levied against Comfort it’s that sometimes the sound feels repetitive. “Nellie,” for instance, feels like a song we’ve heard earlier in the album. Sometimes you almost wish for either JinJa or Grant to step up and take a strong lead vocal to break up the dreamily pleasant harmonizing.
Highlights include the wonderfully peppy “See the Sun” (in addition to singing, Davis and Birkenbeuel handle guitars and organs). The dusty “When We’re Apart” feels like the song you masochistically stick on the bar jukebox at the end of the night, letting everyone know that, yes, you’re thinking about her again. Perhaps the best song is the lead-off “Airplanes,” with its perfectly pitched chorus and surprisingly sad ending.
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