Declaring yourself to be a human jukebox is a bold statement to make, but Benny Davis will prove he can live up to the name. His ear for music is truly remarkable and one of a kind.
The Human Jukebox is part autobiography and part music gig with some witty comedy thrown into the mix for good measure. It may be his debut at the Fringe, but being no stranger to the stage, he takes to it with confidence.
Davis is a natural people person and dynamic entertainer. He interacts with the audience with ease and I especially liked the way he weaved in the comedic material – it didn’t feel contrived and just flowed with the arc of the show.
Throughout the hour, he shared with us his relationship with music and also his thoughts on the industry. He also invited us to hear music the way he does and this is where he hits the jackpot. It’s undeniable that Davis is an extremely talented and gifted musician; his aptitude for his craft is truly impressive; he really holds true to his promise that if he’s heard it, he can play it.
His skills are really put to the test when he asks for suggestions of tracks from the audience. I felt this is incredibly brave considering the endless possibilities but whatever that got thrown his way – even requests that he hadn’t heard of – he took it in his stride.
The only thing that could have been done better is the way the requests were called out. Due to the volume of the music, Davis had to stop momentarily to be able to hear what the song was and this put a bit of a dampener on the experience.
Thanks to Benny Davis, I will never listen to music the same again. He is a musical force with which to be reckoned.
