Sweet Like Ice Cream

Album: Nothing Ringing True (2007)

Artist: Trevor Davis

Label: self-released

Where available/price: Lou’s Records in Encinitas for $13.99. Online at myspace.com/trevordavis, CDBaby.com for $15, and iTunes for 99 cents per song

Songs: 1) Arrowplane 2) Change 3) Rely on You 4) Treasure

5) Mr. Mister 6) Wife to Be 7) Not Enough 8) Across the Clouds

9) Nothing Ringing True 10) Caterpillar

Band: Trevor Davis (vocals, guitar, synth), Sarah Macintosh (vocals), Aaron Redfield (drums), Craig Zarkos (drums), Darla Hawn (drums), Dan Bailey (drums), Tyler Carroll (bass), Tim Devlin (bass), Dave Curtis (bass), Patrick Warren (organ, keyboards), Evan Wickham (organ, keyboards)

Extra info: Trevor Davis is scheduled to play Lestat’s (3343 Adams Avenue) on Friday, February 1

San Diego continues the steady manufacture of syrupy boy-pop even after its poster child (rhymes with Shmason Shmraz) probably needs to supplement his income by washing commuters’ windows at an off-ramp of the 163.

Trevor Davis can sing, which is why it’s such a shame that his background music is limp, cookie-cutter rock. His saccharine-sweet vocals melt over the melodies like too much ice cream.

Davis is certainly not lacking any talent. Nor is his studio band. From every note and harmony, and even down to the album artwork, the project gleams with professional polish, hard work, and innate skill.

What’s missing is the credibility afforded even the most amateur garage bands with half the natural talent. The mechanical, formulaic soft-voice pop template appeals to the braces-and-lip-gloss crowd that haven’t heard it consistently from a dozen predecessors for the past ten years.