It's a rare thing to be surprised by a CD. It's rarer still for that surprise to be pleasant. So you can imagine my ... err ... surprise when I was surprised at the originality, humor and talent in singer-songwriter John Davis' debut album, Dreams of the Lost Tribe.

According to his Web site, Davis is a native of Georgia whose most recent home is Colorado. After a series of moves, odd jobs (and odder acquaintances, it seems) he started teaching college English. But years of performing and bouncing from place to place caught up with him, and he quit to pursue his muse again. He seems to have put plenty of his colorful history into his work. Equal measures of blues and folk flavor this 16-track disc, the result of his perseverance.

From the fire-and-brimstone introduction to the sleepy-lullaby ending, Dreams will keep your mind working and your foot tapping. And if you don't walk away from the experience with at least one of the songs stuck in your head, I'll print this review out and eat it (served with a helping of blackened catfish and some collard greens, of course).

The premise, one could presume, is that that the group of harmless (and not-so-harmless) eccentrics, oddballs, lovers, liars and losers who make up the cast of characters in this thematic piece is one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, and they've seemingly taken up residence far south of the Mason Dixon line. Or perhaps Davis is saying, in his tongue-in-cheek way, that we're all part of one great, big lost tribe.

In any case, I'd go so far as to call this program music; each piece conjures an image as Davis wants (or hopes) us to see it. It must be the writing professor in him; this is as craftily constructed as many a literary work.

On "Okeefenokee," Davis gives us the first in a series of mind-searing images when he introduces us to Aunt Betty (who's quite off her rocker, it seems) dancing around on the porch in a cowboy hat, thinking she's Dale Evans. This funny, albeit somehow disturbing image is an attention-grabber and is certainly at odds with the almost sleepy melody; though the opening strings on this seem to have had some inspiration from "Bonaparte's Retreat," the tune quickly mellows. The protagonist, who is trying to get some uninterrupted time with a young lady of questionable heritage, finally gives in and accepts the madness of it all. He musters the courage to go up on the porch, pretends to be Roy Rogers and asks Betty for a dance. It's a jumping-off point, because from there, Davis immerses us in all of life's foils and foibles.

The songs on this album follow a roadmap of emotional territory, with stops in places that could have names like Whimsical, Melancholy, Silly, Lustful, and Tortured.

Some of the funniest songs on this album, like "Okeefenokee," have quite a dark undertone to them. On "Hobo Supper" he tells the tale of a shifty drifter whose meal ticket is a trip to a place he certainly couldn't have imagined. "Cajun Flood" is the story of two lovers who ride out the waters all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, with the swirling refrain:

"What's a little rain to a Cajun man?
Been knee-deep since I can stand."

Davis is at his best when he throws humor into the mix, but he's quite gifted at exploring the darker sides of the soul. "In Remembrance of Steve" is a touching account of a Vietnam War veteran who hasn't left the war behind, fighting everyone and everything in its place. It had special meaning for me, reminding me of a vet who used to drink at a neighborhood bar I frequented. He was always on guard, ready to attack anyone for reasons, he once admitted, that even he didn't understand. "Waiting" gives us a look at a husband worried about his wife, listening to the clock count off the minutes and hours until she comes home from God-knows-where. You go beyond just understanding his fears; you can feel them.

The only song I didn't like on this album was "Dirty Old World." The lyrics are clever enough, but I didn't care much for the arrangement. While the rest of his songs have a freshness to them that speaks of originality, "Dirty" sounded kitschy, forced and vaguely familiar. The preponderance of good outweighs the bad, though. And that's just one of the things that makes this album such an all-out joy.

Another is the skill with which the musicians play. Davis is quite handy on the electric and acoustic guitars, and he also tackles the harmonica, banjo, mandolin and a slew of other instruments. He is accompanied by Sean Kelly on the acoustic bass and piano. Kelly gets to shine on a few numbers, including his piece de resistance, "The Big Bass Sets Sail."

Dreams of the Lost Tribe is one of the best new singer-songwriter works I've heard in a while. I'm hoping Davis has another installment out soon, because I think the tribe has a lot more to say.

[Patrick O'Donnell]