EB Davis may not be a household name in the United States, but the Memphis-born
singer has become something of a superstar on the European soul-blues circuit. In a
recent conversation, Davis told me that he should have been an "up and comer" here in
the States with his silky smooth voice and Memphis roots, but he has just had too good a thing going in Europe to devote his attentions Stateside.
For those unfamiliar with the work of EB Davis, he has been described by Living Blues Magazine as being one of the true "sweat men" of the blues; giving it all up for the audience every time he takes the stage. EB Davis & The Superband have thrilled
audiences throughout Europe for many years, sticking with EB's three main ingredients of good performance; "Look good, entertain and, most important of all, sound good."
On Live at Yorckschlosschen, Volume 2, EB Davis & The Superband hit squarely on two of the three ingredients, entertaining the audience and sounding good. On an
audio recording, one can only assume that everyone was looking good for the
performance at Yorckschlosschen as well. Having met the ever sharply-dressed EB
Davis in person, I think that is a safe bet.
With The Superband, including Nina T. Davis (piano), Juergen Bailey (guitar), Mike
Watts (bass), Charlie Bailey (drums), Willie Pollack (sax) and Don Marriott (trumpet),
providing the fuel, EB Davis powers his way through a great set of live soul-blues for a
very appreciative European audience. The crowd is very vocal throughout the show,
as they can be heard singing and shouting throughout the twelve songs. In addition to four originals written by EB Davis, the songs include a variety of material ranging from Roosevelt Sykes' "Drivin' Wheel," to Otis Redding's "To Hard To Handle" and "Georgia On My Mind" from Hoagy Carmichael. On EB's original, "Howling," you can really hear the crowd getting into the song, singing along and getting into the band's groove.
Live at Yorckschlosschen, Volume 2 is a great live recording by a singer who should have a much greater following on this side of the Atlantic. With a tight band and great vocals by EB Davis, the band really gets into a groove and creates a great
recording that is well worth owning by lovers of soul-blues.
This review is copyright © 2001 by Dave "Doc" Piltz, and Blues On Stage, all rights reserved. Copy, duplication or download prohibited without written permission. For permission to use this review please send an E-mail to Ray Stiles.
We build websites