Customer Reviews

Butt Naked Free

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Guy Davis, son of actor Ossie Davis, plays acoustic guitar, blows harp & sings. His style is deeply rooted in Piedmont Blues, I could hear strong traces of Reverend Gary Davis as well as Cephas & Wiggins, who I'm more familiar with. His voice is definitely his number one instrument here, the only comparison I can think to make is Howlin' Wolf. You'll understand what I mean when you hear it.

Davis also reminds me a lot of Keb Mo in the way he has contemporized the blues without compromising it. Listening to this cd, I get the impression that although he gives frequent nods to his influences (even giving Rev. Gary Davis "authorship credit" on one of his originals), the music he's playing is his own. He doesn't seem bound by anyone else's ideas of what blues should be, which gives him the freedom to include a more diverse song selection than I'm used to hearing on a "blues" recording, much less an acoustic one.

A nice bonus is Davis' inclusion of all the lyrics in the liner notes, as well as a description of where each song came from, why he wrote it, what inspired it, who it's about, etc. This little extra gives the listener a brief glimpse into the man behind the music and makes for a more complete listening experience. All in all this is one of the most original, enjoyable and listenable cd's I've heard in a long time.

The title of this review suggests how much I like this CD.This music brings me true enjoyment and reaches way down into my comfort zone.I live in the piedmont region of North Carolina,and I hear sounds that remind me of artists like Etta Baker, Mississippi John Hurt, and also Doc Watson who draws energy from these ballad style blues.I hope I get a chance to hear Guy Davis in person some day;he has become one of my favorite artists.

"Butt Naked Free" has great tunes and memorable moments. The first song (second track) is the infectious blues rocker "Waiting on the Cards to Fall." Davis' growl would make Tom Waits jealous! The military-like percussion climaxes with Davis shouting in frustration, "Throw the GD jack down!" The rolling rhythms of "Let Me Stay Awhile" remind me of Jimmy Reed. Organ punctuates the traditional blues construction of "Writing Paper Blues." "Sometimes I Wish" is woeful acoustic blues, "Spare the ones I love, Death I know you got to come by here." "High Flying Rocket" is a peppy ode to impotence, "I can't get it up no more." "Never Met No Woman Treats Me Like You Do" is a barrelhouse boogie blues, "If your husband catch me, I know he's gonna shoot me dead, if he finds the shoe I left underneath your bed." "Sugarbelle Blues" is a slow blues ballad ending with the Lolita-like Sugarbelle's suicide. "Meet Me Where the River Runs" is a happy blues track that'd make Keb' Mo' smile. "I looked in your window as I was passin' by; I could smell you baking that good old cobbler pie," Davis sings on the rolling acoustic "My Rambling Ways." Davis shines on acoustic slide guitar on "Come On Sally Hitch a Ride." "Ain't No Bluesman" is a peppy # with harmonica, "Till my daddy comes." The title track is a happy instrumental with nice guitar picking. The CD concludes with the slow torch blues "Raining in My Soul, "I got a mean old captain, as mean as he can be. He'd rather break me down than set me free." This is a good CD. For me, there's no blockbuster track that makes me hit the repeat button over & over, (Cards 2 Fall is close) but there is good workmanship and consistency throughout the disc. Davis' singing is expressive and musicianship superb. Enjoy!

12 ORIGINALS WRITTEN MY GUY DAVIS, ONE COVER OF AN OLD BLIND WILLIE MCTELL TUNE (WRITING PAPER BLUES) AND ONE SONG WRITTEN BY GUY DAVIS (SOMETIMES I WISH) WITH MUSICAL INSPIRATION CREDITED TO THE REVEREND GARY DAVIS. THIS IS A FIRST CLASS, SOMETIMES HUMOROUS, RECORDING FEATURING SOLID BACK-UP BY LEVON HELM ON DRUMS, T-BONE WOLKE ON ACCORDIAN, BASS AND B3 ORGAN, MARK MURPHY ON ACOUSTIC DOUBLE BASS, GARY BURKE ON PERCUSSION AND JOHN PLATANIA ON ELECTRIC GUITAR. DESPITE THE BACKGROUND PRESENCE OF AN ELECTRIC GUITAR, BASS AND OCCASSIONAL B3, THE CD IS OVERWELMINGLY ACOUSTIC WITH SON HOUSE RIFFS TAUGHT TO GUY DAVIS BY SCOTT ANSLIE, A GREAT MUSICIAN IN HIS OWN RIGHT. A GREAT ADDITION TO ANY COLLECTION AND UNEQUIVOCALLY 5 STARS.

You see I'm not an american, didn't growup on bluse and still developed a taste for it. Guy Davis has the the sound sought after by all bluse lovers, a sound that make your stomach twitch at first listening. There isn't one song to recomend, just listen to the whole thing as one composition. If you got the bluse, you're bound for a joyful ride.

Earlier reviews have compared Guy Davis to Rev. Gary Davis, but this CD finds a gentle, rolling sound that reminds me of an updated Miss. John Hurt. There's a sweet undercurrent that keeps you tapping your toes, much like John Hurt's easy on the ears Delta blues. The only complaint I have is that Davis leaves us wanting more. CDs hold 78 minutes of music and, like so many others, this clocks in at about 45 minutes. The albums I grew up with (scratch, pop, skip!) ran 45 or so minutes. It's a shame that that length seems to be ingrained as the "standard" length of any "long player." Davis is so hot, so perfect for a summer evening, that I want more, more, more...

The entire cd just blows me away! Acoustic guitar can't be beat on "The Place Where I Come From." Love "High Flying Rocket". This is blues at its best!