Jordan Davis brings his good time family values highlighted contemporary Country music to these shores, on his Ain’t Enough Road tour.
Last here in New Zealand when he was one of the support acts for Luke Combs when he played to the large Eden Park crowd, this is his first time as a headline act.
Grateful to be here and in front of such a warm enthusiastic crowd. A lot of country outfits, leather boots and big hats, genuinely warm camaraderie as we are experiencing a late summer bloom.
He seems quite grounded in the Southern style of Rock’n’roll intertwined with roots country as reportedly he taught himself piano as a teen, when he fell in love with the classic sounds of Jerry Lee Lewis.
Ably demonstrated by the way he pounds out behind a keyboard to a song called 3 2 1. He asks everyone to scream on the count and the front-of-house crowd oblige in spades.
Maybe the highlight of his eleven-song set is Wine into Whiskey, which would have been at home in Sam Phillip’s Memphis studio with its perfect blend on country style Rock’n’roll. I turned her love into pain and her wine into whiskey.
He signs off with some low-key Country rap with a nice bounce rhythm, the drummer keeping it flowing with metronomic precision.
He leads out with three songs of his last album, Learn the Hard Way released in August 2025.
Ain’t Enough Road, Turn This Truck Around, Bar None, are all perfect examples of contemporary bright Country Pop shot through with liberal amounts of swing. Travelling through the countryside from wide open plains to Rocky Mountain highs.
This could be John Denver with a bigger voice, full of warmth and balm.
Davis is open to expressing his heart-felt thoughts of his family and friends, and the importance of his Christian values. This brings a large cheer from the audience, which would account for the general feeling of warmth for the evening.
Son of a Gun takes inspiration from his son Lachlan and the wild spirit of his own travels through life. Muddy water runs through my roots and the soles/ Of these old boots that carve this path.
Tucson Too Late is a great Pop ballad highlighted by spectacular sunset to sunrise bright orange lighting display. Behind the band the sun is a bright orange orb.
The band get down to older Country roots with a song like Church in a Chevy. Addressing a grandfather, his favourite old truck and an ever-present bible in the middle of the cab.
Single You Up harks back to one of his earliest released singles. There is a banjo player for this one although you cannot really hear it in the big loud mix.
They bring the big electric sound back with a mixtape medley which he tells us has its origins from 2007, when burning CDs was a thing to do. A montage of 3 AM, Wagon Wheel and Mr Brightside.
Davis concludes the show with one of his biggest singles Buy Dirt, which delves back into his open-hearted Soul roots.
Then brings back some Rock’n’roll power to close with What My World Spins Around.
Jordan Davis delivers a powerful belter of contemporary Country music as he affirms its traditional values, and of course he promises to be back soon.
Rev. Orange Peel
Photography by Leonie Moreland
Jordan Davis
Tucker Wetmore
