Call Down the Thunder
Guy Davis
Red House Records
1996
13 tracks
Wow! Who is that Guy?
The review could end right there. Guy Davis is, quite frankly, an amazing blues artist.
I do not use "artist" here in the casual sense whereby any and all players of music have come to be referred to as artists. Yes, this man is a fine instrumentalist. And, yes, he rises above the run-of the mill singer. And, yes, he writes blues songs in the nineties as though he had actually lived the life in the thirties. It is the combination of these talents and more that raises Guy Davis to the heights of Artist in the traditional sense rather than just another player called artist.
Wow! I say it again. I listen to a lot of music and I work with musicians as well, Guy Davis has the talent, power, and charisma that raises him above the rest.
A person listening to these songs might believe they had been recorded forty or fifty years ago, yet ten of the thirteen cuts on this CD were written by Guy Davis. The music ranges from the more traditional blues styles of Leadbelly, Big Bill Broonzy, Josh White, and Mississippi John Hurt to the slow-rocking sounds of Howling Wolf, Muddy Waters and other electric blues innovators.
This is not to say that Davis simply apes the sounds of the blues greats. Davis really seems to understand the emotion and the history behind the blues. He writes, plays, and sings from the heart and the power of all that comes out in his music. About the only way to pick a favourite song from this release is to shut your eyes and pick whichever cut your finger happens to fall upon.
That said, as a fan of the older, slower blues styles that became a staple of the slow rock and roll in the fifties, I especially enjoy the Davis song "Long Train." I also enjoy "New Shoes," which reminds me of a lot of the old hambone material recorded early in this century. And "I Got the Power" is the "Hootchie Kootchie Man" of the nineties, a rockin', groovin' masterpiece. Davis' storytelling ability is well demonstrated in "Gee the Mule," another piece Davis also wrote.
Here is a blues musician who understands his antecedents and understands why and how these blues still hold their place near the turn of the millenium. This is definitely an artist to watch.
Take my highest recommendation to purchase a recording by any artist I have reviewed to date. Multiply it by ten. This is my recommendation for Call Down the Thunder by Guy Davis. Ask for it. If your record store does not have it, make them get it. Once you hear it, you too will say, Wow!
|
Since about February 14, 2004, |
While you're here, please take the time to check out our sponsors below and on other pages.
Got a new or recent release you would like reviewed?
Click here 
for more information.
|
on Sound Bytes' Free-For-All Links page... Click Here.
Canadian.
Send mail to the Sound Bytes