I hate a song that makes you think that you are not any good. I hate a song that makes you think that you are just born to lose. Bound to lose. No good to nobody. No good for nothing. Because you are too old or too young or too fat or too slim. Too ugly or too this or too that. Songs that run you down or poke fun at you on account of your bad luck or hard traveling.

This Woodie Guthrie quote is the first thing that came to my mind when I first started listening to The Trouble With Flying. Not because Davis tries to build a listener up with endless compliments, but because Davis seems to make a conscious effort to write songs that are bound to put a person in a better mood than they are currently in and put a smile on your face for the duration of time that he has your attention. In his latest album he accomplishes this feat of uplifting the listener quite well.

Orba Squara is the stage name for singer/songwriter Mitch Davis. I’ll have to admit that Orba Squara was a completely new act to me when I received the latest album to listen to and review but upon further study and research I learned that he’s not as new as I initially thought. “Perfect Timing (This Morning)”, from his 2007 debut release Sunshyness, was used on this iPhone commercial and the track “Brand New Day” from The Trouble With Flying is on the soundtrack of the feature film Wedding Days. In fact, of the 10 tracks on Sunshyness 9 of them were licensed to be used for film and television projects. The last album to do that was Moby’s Play in 1999.

In the first track, “Treasure Map” Davis takes the listener to an imaginary land that is full of leprechauns, mermaids and fortune tellers. This track truly sets the mood for the rest of the album. There are no melancholy tracks to be found here, only songs of adventure and emotion. Davis provides us reprieve from our typical lives filled with work, kids, and other countless distraction by allowing the simpler things to be the subject of his songs. On a dreary day, when your responsibilities and worries seem to be rising like a tide, allow Davis’ songs to carry you away to a better place as he tells you how his day was or the stress that all musicians face as they purchase a new guitar and try not to feel as though they are turning their back on an old friend. These are just a few examples of some of the thoughts and emotions that, as a society, we typically throw by the wayside or just don’t take the time to analyze; luckily Davis takes the time for us.

In addition to Davis’ insight to the often ignored aspects of life, this new album also features a special guest appearance from Billy Squier on the title track as well in “Tell Me”. These two tracks have a definitive sound to them as Squier lends his guitar style to the tracks, which is quite different from the typical Davis form.

One of the best parts about this release, aside from the music, is the newly designed and innovative web page that Davis has launched. The site features a side scrolling design cataloging a ten day tour through New York, down south to New Mexico and Texas and up to Oregon. This site provides the viewer photos, lyrics and random thoughts about the album and touring, all the while listening to track samples. The website is definitely worth some time but make sure that you have quite a bit to spare as it is quite consuming.