Chocolate to the Bone

by Guy Davis

Overview

With each new release, the clothes of an old bluesman fit Guy Davis more and more comfortably. By now the blues are completely a part of who he is, so when he reworks an old Sleepy John Estes song into the opener, "Limetown," it feels completely natural; even with the familiar "Rollin' And Tumblin'" riff. He mixes it up well between covers and originals, taking in quite a range -- there's John Lee Hooker, Willie Dixon, and Blind Lemon Jefferson all sitting amicably together in his style; as well as some pieces like "Step It Up And Go" that are just plain old. His own material is less familiar, of course, but just as good, with the careful (if not wholly accurate) patina of age about it. Perhaps the best thing about Davis is that he never tries to be something he's not; there's no fake Southern accent. What you hear is what you get. And while he's hardly the guitar genius that Charley Patton and Robert Johnson were, he's more than adequate, and his excellent band backs him up solidly and subtly, never stepping out too far. There's plenty of talent in Davis, but there's also an obvious and deep love for the blues, especially the rural country blues, and he brings to his music a real timelessness. The man just keeps getting better and better. ~ Chris Nickson

Product Details

Release Date:	07/22/2003
Label:	Red House Records
UPC:	0033651016427
Rank:	152516

Tracks

1. Limetown
2. Tell Me Where the Road Is
3. Step It Up and Go
4. I Believe I'll Lose My Mind
5. Right on Time
6. Set a Place for Me
7. Shortin' Bread
8. Driftin' Blues
9. Sho 'Nuff Satisfied
10. Matchbox Blues
11. Honey Babe
12. Back Door Man
13. Railroad Story
14. Saturday Blues

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Guy Davis   Primary Artist,Vocals,Harmonica,Tambourine,Slide Guitar,Guitar (12 String),Banjo,Guitar
Mark Murphy   Bass (Acoustic)
Gary Burke   Drums
T-Bone Wolk   Mandolin,Accordion,Pump Organ,Organ (Hammond)
Dave Helper   Handclapping,Vocals (Background)
Howard Johnson   Tuba
Nerak Roth Patterson   Guitar (Electric)

Technical Credits

Guy Davis   Composer
Eric Peltoniemi   Executive Producer
Charles Brown   Composer
John Lee Hooker   Composer
Willie Dixon   Composer
Thom Wolke   Assistant Producer
Derek Roe   Engineer
James E. Hinton   Photography
Carla Leighton   Art Direction
Paul Antonell   Mixing,Engineer
Traditional   Composer
Sleepy John Estes   Composer
Blind Lemon Jefferson   Composer
Ishman Bracey   Composer
Chris Powers   Engineer,Assistant
John Platania   Producer
Milt Costakis   Engineer