Give in Kind

Give in Kind
Studio album by
Guy Davis
Released2002
GenreBlues, country blues
LabelRed House
ProducerJohn Platania
Guy Davis chronology
Butt Naked Free
(2000) 		Give in Kind
(2002) 		Chocolate to the Bone
(2003)

Give in Kind is an album by the American musician Guy Davis, released in 2002.[1][2] It was his fifth album for Red House Records.[3] Davis supported it with a North American tour.[4] The album was nominated for a W. C. Handy Award for best "Acoustic Blues Album".[5]

Production

The album was produced by John Platania.[3] Davis did not spend a lot of time on song selection, choosing what he liked, what others liked, and what was already worked out.[6] He played banjo, six- and twelve-string guitars, and washboard; he played a didgeridoo on "Layla, Layla".[6][7] Ken Whiteley contributed on mandolin.[8] "Loneliest Road That I Know" is a version of Mississippi Fred McDowell's song "Highway 61".[9] "What You Doin'" is a cover of the Sleepy John Estes song.[10] "Good Liquor" is a cover the Big Bill Broonzy song.[11] "Joppatowne" is about a prisoner returning to his hometown for a funeral.[12] "I Will Be Your Friend" is a tribute to the Scottish musician Davy Steele, who died in 2001.[13]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionB+[11]
Robert Christgau(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)[15]
DownBeat[16]
The Gazette4/5[8]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[17]

Robert Christgau called the album "country blues in the spirit of friendship, like John Hurt did it."[15] The Star Tribune wrote that "Davis continues his dogged but creative commitment to traditional acoustic blues."[18] The Gazette determined that "Davis recalls the days when jug bands ruled Memphis's Beale St.," writing that his original songs "preserve and carry forward the tradition."[8] The Birmingham Post opined that Davis "has an inbuilt empathy with the music, without any of the vaudeville hokum of Keb' Mo' or the sophisticated gloss of Eric Bibb."[10] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution concluded that "his previous albums have sometimes been weighed down by an artificial vocal gruffness... Now he has found his voice."[11]

AllMusic wrote that "he's listened hard to classic Delta blues and based his style on it, without ever becoming a carbon copy of the greats."[14]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Good Liquor" 
2."Loneliest Road That I Know" 
3."Lay Down By My Side" 
4."I Will Be Your Friend" 
5."(I Love My Job)" 
6."Layla, Layla" 
7."Honeydew Melon Rag" 
8."Six Cold Feet of Ground" 
9."Grandma Is Dancing" 
10."What You Doin'" 
11."Watch Over Me" 
12."I Don't Know" 
13."Don't You Leave Me Here" 
14."(Joppatowne Intro)" 
15."Joppatowne" 
16."God's Unchanging Hand" 

References

  1. ^ Van Matre, Lynn (March 27, 2002). "Sunday concerts set for Riverwalk". Chicago Tribune. p. 2DN.6.
  2. ^ Takiff, Jonathan (April 9, 2002). "Blues power". Features. Philadelphia Daily News. p. 33.
  3. ^ a b Wishaw, John (June 19, 2002). "Culture: Never felt more like singing". Features. Birmingham Post. p. 12.
  4. ^ Alarik, Scott (April 4, 2002). "Guy Davis". The Boston Globe. p. CAL.8.
  5. ^ Ellis, Bill (January 21, 2003). "Handys Hail the Many Shades of Blues". The Commercial Appeal. p. C1.
  6. ^ a b Charleston, Rita (May 3, 2002). "Guy Davis to open for David Bromberg and his Big Band". The Philadelphia Tribune. p. 8E.
  7. ^ Hicks, Robert (June 10, 2002). "Guy Davis brings context to his songs". TGIF. Daily Record. Morristown. p. 16.
  8. ^ a b c Regenstreif, Mike (April 25, 2002). "Blues". The Gazette. p. C5.
  9. ^ Van Matre, Lynn (April 11, 2002). "Country blues star Davis is set to play Hinsdale". Trib West. Chicago Tribune. p. 6.
  10. ^ a b Wishaw, John (June 21, 2002). "Culture: Davis brings his blues to Birmingham". Features. Birmingham Post. p. 16.
  11. ^ a b c Melvin, Don (July 7, 2002). "Blues". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. L8.
  12. ^ Asch, Kim (October 17, 2002). "Musical stories full of heart, soul". The Burlington Free Press. p. WK3.
  13. ^ Williams, Ken (August 16, 2002). "Give in Kind". Entertainment Guide. The Age. p. 7.
  14. ^ a b "Give in Kind Review by Chris Nickson". AllMusic. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Guy Davis". Robert Christgau. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  16. ^ Hadley, Frank-John (January 2003). "Guy Davis: Give in Kind". DownBeat. Vol. 70, no. 1. p. 72.
  17. ^ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. 2006. p. 156.
  18. ^ Bream, Jon (April 12, 2002). "Blues/Folk". Star Tribune. p. 6E.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.