Butt Naked Free

Guy Davis

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 14, 2000)
• Original Release Date: March 14, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Red House
• ASIN: B00004NKAH
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #57,955 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
If the earthy power of Guy Davis's sandpaper vocals doesn't grab your attention and the resonance of his acoustic-guitar strings doesn't turn your head, you need to make sure you're still alive. The songs he writes and sings will make you laugh and tap along, but the way this guy blows is truly pulse quickening. This is Davis's fourth album, and though he's a veteran of A Prairie Home Companion and many other national broadcasts, it's on this disc that Guy Davis truly arrives. Producer John Platania brings out a lushness that evokes Davis's day gig playing guitar for Van Morrison. And the presence of the Band drummer Levon Helm affirms the music's Americana link. Like Keb' Mo', Davis doesn't stick to straight blues; there's a toe-tapping pop sensibility at work on "Let Me Stay a While" and others. He sings, "I ain't no bluesman/I'm the bluesman's son," a nice analogy for his music--it's linked to the past but living today. ---Robert Gordon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars File under: Contemporary Traditional, May 15, 2000

By A Customer

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars COUNTRY BLUES AS GOOD AS IT GETS!, August 1, 2000

By	James Bohannon (High Point, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ain't This Bliss?, March 14, 2002

By	Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

"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!