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"Benjy Davis and Mic Capdevielle shoot straight on new Benjy Davis Project CD" by Cody Daigle

There's a pulsing pop vitality coursing through each track of the Benjy Davis Project's new album, Lost Souls Like Us, and this disc makes a damn convincing argument that this Project deserves some serious national attention.

The Benjy Davis Project, made up of Benjy Davis and Mic Capdevielle, have been making music together since 2001, and the two have weathered an assortment of band configurations - the project has been everything from an acoustic duo to a six-piece band. Now back to just a duo, Davis and Capdevielle are making music that feels lived-in, comfortable and personal, exactly what you'd expect from long-time collaborators.

The album kicks off with the rollicking Mississippi, an ode to the boys'
geographical neighbor (they hail from Baton Rouge). Its country-tinged melody is bright and airy, the kind of music that puts you in the mind of a top-down convertible on a summer afternoon, and Davis' lyrics are simple, straightforward and affecting ("Did you miss me, Mississippi? / And would you kiss me if I stayed?").

Those qualities - brightness, airiness, simplicity, straightforwardness - abound on Lost Souls Like Us, and song after song projects not only the duo's keen sense for melody but a pitch-perfect understanding of crafting a hummable, lovable pop song.

That craftsmanship shines through on a track like Send Down Your Love, a tune that could draw comparison to Jason Mraz or John Mayer. It's an infectious track that avoids pop pastiche thanks in large part to the Southern roots influences that are a large part of the Project's sound.

Davis and Capdevielle have found a way to pull together the sounds of country, blues, pop, roots and Southern rock so that each influence strengthens the other. Many of these tunes would sound equally at home on Top 40 radio as they would on country radio, and in a world where music listening has become more niche than ever, that's no small feat.

Now such craftsmanship for the masses could ring hollow. Not so for the Project. These guys not only make perfectly-constructed tunes, but they produce tunes with a lot of heart. Their songs can be playful (see the track Bite My Tongue), mournful (Stay with Me), moody (You Just Know) and full-on raucous (Aftermath).

The Benjy Davis Project doesn't hold anything back, and although their album title paints them as lost souls, they are anything but.

They're confident, courageous and immensely talented. Lost Souls Like Us is proof positive that it's time for these lost boys to get found.