Call Down the Thunder
| Call Down the Thunder | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1996 | |||
| Studio | The Loft | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Label | Red House | |||
| Producer | Joe Ferry, Guy Davis | |||
| Guy Davis chronology | ||||
| ||||
Call Down the Thunder is an album by the American musician Guy Davis, released in 1996.[1][2] He supported the album with a North American tour.[3]
Production[edit]
Recorded at The Loft, in Bronxville, New York, the album was coproduced by Joe Ferry.[4] Davis considered his writing style similar to Bob Dylan's, where he would fill a page with as many words as possible before editing them.[5] "I Got the Power" is about a deal with the devil.[6] Pete Seeger played banjo on "Jelly Bone Jelly".[7] "Minglewood Blues" is a version of the Noah Lewis song.[8] "When You Got a Good Friend" is a cover of the Robert Johnson song.[9] "See Me When You Can" is a tribute to Davis's grandmother.[10]
Critical reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| DownBeat | [12] |
| Los Angeles Daily News | [13] |
| MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide |  [14] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [15] |
The Los Angeles Daily News opined that "the best song here is barely blues at all... Davis's own 'The Road Is Calling' has a great r&b feel that fits so well."[13] Jeanne Cooper, of The Boston Globe, listed Call Down the Thunder as the second best album of 1996.[16] The Ithaca Journal said that Davis's "gruff voice, spry fingerpicking and command of traditional acoustic blues styles add up to one powerful package."[17] The Sydney Morning Herald concluded that "the beautiful flourish of his performances and the genuine sincerity for his traditional musical culture are not the problem... Davis has yet to find his true voice."[18]
AllMusic wrote that Davis's "slide playing is exceptional and at times very reminiscent of Robert Johnson."[11]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Georgia Jelly Roll" | |
| 2. | "I Got the Power" | |
| 3. | "When You Got a Good Friend" | |
| 4. | "Long Train" | |
| 5. | "Run Sinner Run" | |
| 6. | "Mama's Gonna Fix It Right" | |
| 7. | "Jelly Bone Jelly" | |
| 8. | "See Me When You Can" | |
| 9. | "Gee the Mule" | |
| 10. | "Minglewood Blues" | |
| 11. | "Thanksgiving Day" | |
| 12. | "The Road Is Calling" | |
| 13. | "New Shoes" |
References[edit]
- ^ Burliuk, Greg (14 Feb 1998). "Davis finds blues in Fishy Waters". Entertainment. The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 35.
- ^ Gallant, Doug (10 Nov 2000). "Guy Davis on stage at Carrefour Theatre". The Guardian. Charlottetown. p. C3.
- ^ Rollins, Ron (17 Jan 1997). "The Music Man". Go!. Dayton Daily News. p. 16.
- ^ Weiss, Ray (1 Nov 1999). "Blues artists sing for supper for the hungry and homeless". The Journal News. p. E1.
- ^ Zack, Ian (Jan 2005). "Southern Stories". Acoustic Guitar. Vol. 15, no. 7. p. 54.
- ^ Gussow, Adam (2017). Beyond the Crossroads: The Devil and the Blues Tradition. University of North Carolina Press. p. 152.
- ^ Dunaway, David King (2017). A Pete Seeger Discography: Seventy Years of Recordings. Scarecrow Press. p. 120.
- ^ Blake, Joe (29 Apr 1997). "Deep Blues: A new generation renews tradition". News. Times Colonist. p. 1.
- ^ "CD review: Guy Davis keeps the blues alive". Mixed Bag. The Daily Advertiser. Jan 24, 1997. p. 10.
- ^ Levesque, Roger (10 Apr 1998). "Davis cool with Delta Blues". Edmonton Journal. p. C5.
- ^ a b "Call Down the Thunder Review by Bob Gottlieb". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ^ Ouellette, Dan (Mar 1997). "Call Down the Thunder". DownBeat. Vol. 64, no. 3. p. 57.
- ^ a b Cosin, Elizabeth M. (29 Nov 1996). "Blues". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L23.
- ^ MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 99.
- ^ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 156.
- ^ "1996 Top Ten CDs". The Boston Globe. Dec 15, 1996. p. N8.
- ^ Catalano, Jim (Aug 28, 1997). "'Bound for Glory'". Arts & Leisure. The Ithaca Journal. p. 11.
- ^ Reilly, Terry (6 Apr 1998). "Blues". The Guide. The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 8.