They say that you can’t go far wrong with an old bluesman and it is equally true that an old bluesman can’t go far wrong and Boo Boo Davis duly doesn’t go far wrong with his latest album “Tree Man”. The album resonates with years of telling it like it is but without ever suggesting that his enthusiasm for the task in hand is on the wane.
The songs are, as you might expect, traditional in aspect and content yet they don’t ever sound like they have been released from the prison that is time. Part of the reason for that might well be the raw nature of the recording. Without the polish of the computer to render everything perfect, it is up to the musicians present to set the groove and the tone with the groove here being your genuine steam train that it is isn’t going to stop anywhere else than at its allotted stations and Boo Boo Davis is the driver that gets that train going no matter how steep the incline.
Blues fans know what they want and “Tree Man” is the kind of album that they will want. Boo Boo Davis might well stay within the lines of the old time blues genre, yet he manages, through sheer energy, to keep it all sounding fresh and that is both commendable and unusual these days.
Best song on the album? The frenetic “She won’t Call Me On The Telephone”.