Larry Davis - Jeffrey Scott reviews

Larry Davis - Funny Stuff - Rooster Blues

Best known for the original recording of "Texas Flood," which was popularized by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Larry Davis had a relatively short but distinguished career, which included at one time being signed to B.B. King's Virgo label. Originally a bass player, he started playing guitar while touring with Albert King. 

In 1982 Rooster Blues issued his album, Funny Stuff, which won the 1982 Handy Award for Best New Album and contained the two tracks that won for Best Single. Davis sang with plenty of gospel-based soul while playing his Flying V Gibson in a hard-edged style that clearly reflected Albert King's influence. He produced one of the strongest recordings of the Eighties. This is a welcome reissue of that album.

From the title track, a terrific song about a lady who has hoodoo'ed him to the closing rendition of Albert King's "Got to Be Some Changes Made," Davis pours his heart into the vocals while turning out some high-energy solos. Other high points include his funky renditions of "That Will Never Do" and George Jackson's "Find' Em, Fool 'Em & Forget 'Em." There are also the searing, slow blues "Teardrops" and "Worried Dream." 

Legendary saxophonist and producer Oliver Sain produced this as well as played sax and keyboards. Billy Gayles, of Kings of Rhythm fame, played drums on half of this while Johnny Johnson played piano on five of the ten tracks. The album holds up wonderfully and one would be hard-pressed to find any better modern blues recordings since this came out. There may be some as good, but not better.

Jeffrey Scott - Rattlesnake Daddy

With John Jackson as his uncle, and friends with the likes of John Cephas and Doc Watson, one

should not be surprised that the debut album of Jeffrey Scott, the self-produced "Rattlesnake Daddy" is firmly in the East Coast fingerstyle guitar tradition. 

This disc contains a selection of songs from Blind Blake, Blind Boy Fuller, Arthur Crudup, and Big Bill Broonzy among others, Scott displays a crisp, fluid guitar style while his tenor is a bit brighter sounding than John Jackson's straightforward delivery of a lyric. Perhaps he is not yet as deft a guitarist as his uncle or John Cephas, but he does maintain a nice relaxed groove on "Step It Up and Go" as well as "That's All Right Mama." 

This is a very enjoyable disc and indicates Scott is a talent with more than simply promise here.

These reviews originally appeared in the 2001 November DC Blues Calendar, then the DC Blues Society's newsletter. I have made minor edits for readability. I likely received the Larry Davis from a publicist. I do not remember whether I bought the Jeffrey Scott or not. The Jeffrey Scott is currently available at Amazon. The Larry Davis may be hard to find. Here Jeffrey Scott performs "Red River Blues."

The Legendary Ike Turner: The Kat Sure Could Play!

Ike Turner's life may have been a controversial one, but their can be little doubt of his significant contribution to the blues, rhythm & blues and rock musical worlds. A four CD box, "The Legendary Ike Turner: The Kat Sure Could Play! (Secret Records) presents 118 songs (and over 5 hours of music) from singles Turner played on between 1951 to 1957. Some of these recordings include famous recording like "Rocket 88" by Turner and his own band The Kings of Rhythm, and others are backings to recordings by the likes of Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King, Johnny Ace, Bobby Bland and Elmore James.

There are so many historic recordings here starting with Rocket 88, but also including King's 3 O'Clock Blues, Wolf's How Many More Years, Boyd Gilmore's raucous Rambling On My Mind, and Rosco Gordon's No More Doggin'. The is a terrific delta juke joint band session that produced Drifting Slim's Muddy Waters pastiche Good Morning Baby, and Sunny Blair's house rocket, Step Back Baby. Junior Brooks terrific Gonna Let You Go is a reworking of a Muddy Waters recording with Ike on piano as he is on Elmore's frantic broom dusting on Please Find My Baby. Ike is present on Little Milton's early If You Love Me Baby as well.

Ike also had his own coterie of musicians including Eugene Fox whose Sinner's Dream and the two-part The Dream, are interesting bits of story-telling with Ike's evocative use of tremolo in his guitar noticeable. As The Sly Fox, Eugene Fox had a couple of other gems with his extroverted vocals; Hoo-doo Say (with a solo from Ike) and I'm Tired of Beggin'. Lonnie the Cat's I Ain't Drunk is a choice cover of a Jimmy Liggins tune that Albert Collins made famous. Johnny Wright's The World Is Yours is one of several times Ike adapted lyrics to Guitar Slim's The Things I Used To Do with Wright shouting with considerable vigor as Ike makes effective use of his Fender's whammy bar during his solo. 

Some of the latter recordings come from when Turner recorded for Federal and include such gems as Billy Gayles I'm Tore Up, Just One More Time, and Let's Call It A Day; Jackie Brenston's Gonna Wait For My Chance and Clayton Love's She Made My Blood Run Cold and Do You Mean It. Also heard are instrumentals including Cubano Bop and Trail Blazer.

Not every track is a classic, but throughout one can discern Ike Turner's ear and ability to craft the sound of the recordings with some nice piano on his earlier recordings and distinctive guitar in the later recordings. Included is a booklet with a lengthy overview of the recordings and Ike's contributions by Fred Rothwell as well as another booklet with discographical details on the selections included. The Kat Sure Could Play! is an impressive compilation of Ike Turner before Tina. Folks might check better mail order outfits like bluebeatmusic.com to purchase this.

I purchased my copy. Here is Clayton Love singing She Made My Blood Run Cold.