02/07/2023
review from the UK:
Boo Boo Davis — The Trio 2008–2019
Mississippi-born, Saint Louis-based drummer, harmonica player and especially gravel-voiced singer in the vein of Howling Wolf, Boo Boo Davis toured and recorded in Europe as a trio with Black & Tan Records boss Jan Mittendorp and John Gerritse during the timespan of the title. Sadly, all good things come to an end, and COVID put a stop to the tours, with all three men now deciding they’re now all getting a bit too old for this kind of junket. It’s a shame, but understandable – after all, Boo Boo was born in 1943 and is one of the few remaining bluesmen to have actually picked cotton in the Delta. Born on 3rd November, he’ll turn 80 this year.
So, what these guys have done is to pick fifteen of their favourite tracks from their shared discography. It’s a strong idea too – the releases have been varied, from the straight up down home Mississippi sound to blues electronica, and the hour’s worth of music here varies from the straight-forward raw sound of ‘Boo Boo Blues’ - which sounds like it should be on a 78 from Modern Records - ‘St. Louis Woman’ and ‘Cryin’ Woman’, all with fine harp and the last named with a strongly Rice Miller-ish vocal, on up to the blues-rock influenced approach of ‘Stay From The Casino’ and ‘Silvermine’ and the more mellow southern-soul styled ‘Why You Wanna Do It’.
A lovely collection then – it’s great to listen to, but it does also make me hope that these guys might yet agree to “never say never again”.
