Guy Davis

Guy Davis - Call Down The Thunder (1996)


Mp3 (CBR 320 Kbps): 115 Mb | Covers
Audio CD (October 15, 1996) - Label: Red House - Catalog: RHR CD 89 - ASIN: B000001BB7
Blues, Acoustic Blues

Review: This is Guy Davis' second release on Red House, normally a bastion of folkies (Greg Brown, Lucy Kaplansky) & Minnesota style bluegrass (Kate MacKenzie, Peter Ostroushko). Well, yes, they have Spider John Koerner, but since they picked up Paul Geremia and Guy Davis, they might be looking at cornering some of the best in acoustic blues as well. This disc of thirteen cuts, nearly fifty minutes of a variety of the good stuff, contains ten originals. The three covers are a Robert Johnson, a Mance Lipscomb and a Noah Lewis. The disc was produced by Joe Ferry and Guy Davis. It features good clean production with a minimum of audio clutter, an excellent choice of backup musicians and a tasteful handling of Davis' somewhat rough voice, which, while appropriate for the material, could have been mishandled by less skilled producers bent on making it smoother or clearer. Instead, the CD rings with the clarity of a purpose that belies his apparently young age. That purpose is supported by his considerable guitar and harmonica skills as well.
The disc starts with an original tune Georgia Jelly Roll. This Leadbelly-style 12-bar country blues could have been recorded at a juke joint. Davis plays 12 string, sings and talks during the instrumental breaks, offering advice to the dancers, requesting some liquid refreshment, etc.
I Got The Power: This slow 12 bar features Davis on 12 string slide and rack harp, with a standup bass, drums and organ. He claims in the liner notes he wrote this after playing Howlin' Wolf's guitar at a House of Blues. This song is clearly a young man's blues, full of confidence and brag.
The Robert Johnson song, When You Got A Good Friend, features Davis on vocals & slide acoustic, with bass, piano & electric guitar.
Long Train is a slow 12 bar with a long instrumental opening, Davis on harp and Abdul Wall Muhammad on solo electric guitar. This is one of the more electric blues on this disc, with alternating guitar and harp breaks---the obligatory "train don't take my baby away" song.
Run, Sinner Run is the Mance Lipscomb song, an 8-bar country blues, about what will happen to the cocky kid in _I Got The Power_. It has some nice slide 12 string and a compelling stomping foot.
The next four songs are all Guy Davis tunes. Mama's Gonna Fix It Right is an uptempo barrelhouse piano number. _Jelly Bone Jelly_ is a country blues with Pete Seeger on banjo and 2 harps (Davis and Jimmy Recchionne) trading lead and rhythm parts during the breaks. See Me When You Can is a slow acoustic 12 bar with a nice harp break, more in a Little Walter style than some of his other harp stuff. Gee The Mule is a solo acoustic fingerpicked story song. Davis can play guitar, wrapping his best gravelly storytelling voice around this one. You can just imagine he's a seventy-something grandfather leaning back in his rocker to tell it.
Minglewood Blues is the Noah Lewis tune, a moderate 12 bar. It's an acoustic blues with a stand up bass, piano with Davis playing rack harp as well as guitar. He plays a pretty sharp harp break in this song, as well as doing some nice harp answering vocals.
Thanksgiving Day is a solo fingerpicked instrumental featuring very tasteful string snapping, harmonics, and foot tapping.
The Road Is Calling is a full band treatment of a moderate ballad written by Davis.
New Shoes is a live-in-the-studio blues shout. Just call-and-response vocals and harp, with the audience clapping along with (and providing some interesting variations to) his foot stomp. Very powerful technique that Sonny Terry (among others) used to use live, but it doesn't always translate well in the studio. Davis pulls it off beautifully, thanks in part to his talent, ability, and a good mix balancing the performer and the studio audience.


Track Listing

01 - Georgia Jelly Roll
02 - I Got The Power
03 - When You Got A Good Friend
04 - Long Train
05 - Run Sinner Run
06 - Mama's Gonna Fix It Right
07 - Jelly Bone Jelly
08 - See Me When You Can
09 - Gee The Mule
10 - Minglewood Blues
11 - Thanksgiving Day
12 - The Road Is Calling
13 - New Shoes

Personnel
Guy Davis - vocals, 6-string, 12-string & slide guitars, harmonica, washboard
Richie Morales - drums
Abdul Wali Muhammad - electric guitar
Genovis Albright - keyboards
Jimmy Recchionne - harmonica
Joe Ferry - electric bass

Also: Pete Seeger, Harvie Swartz




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Guy Davis - Give In Kind (2002)


Loseless (Flac Image File + Cue + Log + Audiochecker Log): 350 Mb | Eac Secure Mode Rip | Mp3 (CBR 320 Kbps): 138 Mb | Covers
Number of Discs: 1 - Audio CD (April 9, 2002) - Label: Red House - ASIN: B000063IT8
Blues, Acoustic Blues


Review: Guy Davis has developed into a consummate bluesman. He's listened hard to classic Delta blues and based his style on it, without ever becoming a carbon copy of the greats. Instead they're his jumping-off point into something as individual as "Layla, Layla," where didgeridoo makes an appearance, or the poignant "Joppatowne." Equally adept on guitar, banjo, and harmonica, he's become a force of nature, with the ability to write a song like "I Don't Know" that sounds as if it had come directly from the '30s, alongside covers of Fred McDowell, Big Bill Broonzy, and Sleepy John Estes. The originals and older work mesh perfectly, the sign of a real bluesman. And, of course, he's capable of working the other side of the coin to blues, in gospel, as the closer, "God's Unchanging Hand," clearly shows. This is the tradition reborn and revitalized. Davis' support is wonderfully sympathetic, but he's completely at the center of things, the motivator and mover of this music, and a purveyor of the real blues. His lineage is obvious, and he's the new generation, doing it right and keeping it real.

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Notes: Although this New Yorker is the son of actors Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, he sings as if he was not only born into a hard Mississippi life, but swallowed it piece by piece, each injury scarring his vocal cords on its way down. Add to that the buzzing acoustic slide tones he opens the disc with and the dark sentiments on the alcoholic's lament "Good Liquor" and the plea for remembrance "Six Feet of Cold Ground," and the result is Davis's most potent blues recording. When Davis's harmonica makes occasional appearances, it's as rich in emotional resonance as his frayed voice. The solo that tags "Loneliest Road That I Know," a take on Fred McDowell's "61 Highway," is especially expressive, blowing short phrases of fragile melody over an already moody bed of Hammond B-3 organ. Davis augments his music with a full electric band here, but it's his musicianship that leads the arrangements--sometimes into unpredictable territory. The roadhouse love song "Layla, Layla" is colored by Davis's didgeridoo playing, and he picks five-string banjo on his original spiritual, "I Will Be Your Friend." Another surprise is the finger-picked guitar tune "Honeydew Melon Rag," the kind of instrumental that jug bands used to perform on Memphis's legendary Beale Street 70 years ago. Davis also makes room for his folk-music roots in his blues, offering "Grandma Is Dancing" as a warm-hearted tribute to a matriarch, complete with a shaky, home-spun group melody on its chorus. Altogether, this CD's 15 tunes offer a pleasing, well-rounded overview of Davis's art.


TrackListing

01 - Good liquor
02 - Loneliest road that i know
03 - Lay down by my side
04 - I will be your friend
05 - (I love my job)
06 - Layla, Layla
07 - Honeydew melon rag
08 - Six cold feet of ground
09 - Grandma is dancing
10 - What you doin'
11 - Watch over me
12 - I don't know
13 - Don't you leave me here
14 - (Joppatowne intro)
15 - Joppatowne
16 - God's unchanging hand

Personnel
Guy Davis - vocals, 6 & 12 string acoustic guitars, 5 string banjo, didgeridoo, harmonica
Gary Burke - drums
David Helper - background vocals
Keith Slattery - piano, Hammond B3 organ
Ken Whitely - four stringed banjo, mandolin
Zoe B. Zak - accordion, background vocals





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Guy Davis - Skunkmello (2006)




Loseless (Flac Image File + Cue + Log + Audiochecker Log): 388 Mb | Eac Secure Mode Rip | Mp3 (CBR 320 Kbps): 157 Mb | Covers
Audio CD (April 4, 2006) - Number of Discs: 1 - Label: Red House - ASIN: B000EMG9ZY
Blues, Acoustic Blues


Review: Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, Pinetop Perkins, Muddy Waters, and Electric Flag are just a few of the artists who have tried their hand at interpreting St. Louis Jimmy Oden’s Goin’ Down Slow. Considering how many times the tune has been recorded and performed, it’s surprising that Guy Davis is able to find a fresh angle from which to deliver it. Granted, his approach isn’t terribly unique, but the emotional residue that clings to the song’s dark, swirling vortex helps to transform it into one of the many highlights on his latest endeavor Skunkmello.

More than most styles of music, the blues is a fluid dialogue among musicians past and present. In telling his tales, Davis has no qualms about twisting Furry Lewis’ Kassie Jones into his own Natural Born Eas’ Man or recasting Mississippi John Hurt’s Candyman as The Chocolate Man. Elsewhere, he slathers It Takes Love to Make a Home with the urban grit of the Chicago scene, and in the center of the set, he quietly tips his hat to Wilson Pickett while gently nestling the delicate soul of Blues in the Midnight Hour. There’s no question that Davis’ influences reach far and wide, and throughout Skunkmello, he continues to borrow liberally from them. What’s different, however, is that this time he fully makes them his own, and as a result, he authoritatively adds his own chapter to the genre’s rich legacy.


Track Listing

01 - Natural Born Eas'Man
02 - Going Down Slow
03 - The Chocolate Man
04 - It Takes Love To Make A Home
05 - Shaky Pudding
06 - Po' Boy, Great Long Ways From Home
07 - Blues In The Midnight Hour
08 - Blackberry Ramble
09 - Fonza Curry
10 - Maggie Campbell Blues
11 - Skunkmello's Dance Of The Chickens
12 - Hooking Bull At The Landing
13 - Shooting Star
14 - Uncle Tom Is Dead (milk n' cookies remix)

Personnel
Guy Davis - vocals, 6 & 12 string acoustic guitars, 5 string banjo, didgeridoo, harmonica
Gary Burke - drums
David Helper - background vocals
Keith Slattery - piano, Hammond B3 organ
Ken Whitely - four stringed banjo, mandolin
Zoe B. Zak - accordion, background vocals





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Guy Davis - On Air (2007)



Loseless (Flac Image File + Cue + Log + Audiochecker Log): 337 Mb | Eac Secure Mode Rip | Covers
Original Release Date: September 17, 2007 - Audio CD (January 22, 2008) - Label: Tradition & Moderne - ASIN: B000TSE7E8
Blues - Acoustic Blues


Review: The soulful depth and inspired nature of his studio work can also be found on this new live recording. “On Air“ provides more striking evidence of the man’s unique qualities as singer, player and story-teller, while Radio Bremen’s famed concert hall once again provided perfect acoustics. Along with Mark Murphy (bass) and Nerak Roth Patterson (electric guitar) Guy Davis was yet again delivering the goods that night and a very attentive audience was there to applaud him and his band. The longer they played, the more their talents shone. A tradition revitalised, with classic repertoire by Robert Johnson, Big Bill Broonzy and Willie Dixon standing next to original songs and Bob Dylan’s exquisite ballad „Sweetheart Like You“. The gruff Davis voice was in fine form, communicating the message with feeling and with authority. The past of the music came alive and one could feel the continuous pulse of its heartbeat. Starting with Sleepy John Estes’ classic „Drop Down Mama“ and closing with the poignant storytelling blues „Joppatown“, the musicians shared the intensity of the moment. The man responsible was very moved when the evening drew to a close.

“On Air” provides another glimpse into Guy Davis’ musical mind as a consummate present-day bluesman. When he sings and plays, he also talks about the past and where he’s coming from. A number of his stories are connected with the ones he heard as a kid, sitting around the kitchen table, listening to his Grandmother talk about old life in the Deep South. Memories concerned with black traditions far removed from the urban environment. Today, Guy Davis provides an authentic new voice for the cultural traditions of Black America, communicating a contemporary version of classic blues in a variety of styles. This is music coming from the heart and soul, giving new meaning to an old form. It’s precisely this extraordinary quality that can be experienced on this latest chapter in T & M’s „On Air“ series. One more Radio Bremen recording that doesn’t leave anything to be desired.


TrackListing

01 - Drop Down Mama
02 - When You've Got A Good Friend
03 - Waitin' On The Cards To Fall
04 - Train Story
05 - Drifting Blues
06 - Good Liquor Gonna Carry Me Down
07 - Sweetheart Like You
08 - Back Door Man
09 - Dust My Broom
10 - Loneliest Road That I Know
11 - Limetown
12 - Step It Up And Go
13 - Sturday Blues
14 - Joppatown

Personnel
Guy Davis - Guitar (Acoustic), Harmonica, Arranger, Vocals, Adaptation
Rolf Kirschbaum - Mastering
Nerak Roth Patterson - Guitar (Electric)
Michael Sheehan - Cover Photo
Harald Moenkedieck - Liner Notes
Christoph Romanowski - Engineer, Mastering
Volker Steppat - Engineer
Mark Murphy - Bass, Vocals (Background)





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Guy Davis - Butt Naked Free 2000



Tracklist
1. Talkin' 'Bout Wings 'N' Brew (Davis) - 0:04
2. Waiting on the Cards to Fall (Davis) - 3:55
3. Let Me Stay Awhile (Davis) - 4:15
4. Writing Paper Blues (Mitchel) - 4:37
5. Sometimes I Wish (Davis) - 3:05
6. High Flying Rocket (Davis) - 2:16
7. Never Met No Woman Treats Me Like You Do (Davis) - 2:45
8. Sugarbelle Blue (Davis) - 4:11
9. Meet Me Where the River Turns (Davis) - 2:15
10. My Rambling Ways (Davis) - 2:34
11. Come on Sally Hitch a Ride (Davis) - 2:48
12. Ain't No Bluesman (Davis) - 3:06
13. The Place Where I Come from (Butt Naked Free) (Davis) - 2:13
14. Raining in My Soul (Davis) - 5:24




256 kbps | Mediafire

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Guy Davis – Chocolate To The Bone 2003



Tracklist
01. Limetown 3:38
02. Tell Me Where the Road Is 4:34
03. Step It Up and Go 2:13
04. I Believe I'll Lose My Mind 4:10
05. Right on Time 3:18
06. Set a Place for Me 5:19
07. Shortin' Bread 2:32
08. Driftin' Blues 4:05
09. Sho 'Nuff Satisfied 2:56
10. Matchbox Blues 2:55
11. Honey Babe 3:34
12. Back Door Man 3:03
13. Railroad Story 4:11
14. Saturday Blues 3:10




320 kbps | Mediafire

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