I recently came across this album the other night when it was suggested to me by Apple Music, and I’ve really been digging folk music lately so I figured I’d check it out tonight. Davey Graham was an important figure in the 60s folk revival, and is noted to be an inspiration to other folk guitarists like Bert Jansch, Wizz Jones, John Renbourn, Martin Carthy, John Martyn, Pual Simon, and Jimmy Page. Graham often used DADGAD tuning for his guitar, which he initially adopted while traveling through Morocco so he could play along with the traditional oud music in the area. Though I didn’t know much about Graham until just moments ago, after hearing that some of the musicians he influenced I am quite excited to give this album a listen. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
Holy smokes, “No Preacher Blues” starts out super hot with some super tasty bluesy acoustic guitar that has a really rockin’ grooving feel. Oh wow, the rhythm section has a really flavorful jazz-inflection between the swing in the drums and smooth groove from the bass guitar. Oh wow, the acoustic guitar really keeps the song moving nicely, almost reminding me a bit of Hot Tuna. There’s a really pleasant nearly innocent sound to the vocal performance while playing this bluesy tune too. Great track and now I’m even more excited for the rest of the album.
Oh wow, “The Fakir” starts out with some incredibly interesting middle eastern sounding guitar lines on top of a heavily syncopated jazz-inflected swinging drum track. Oh wow, the bass guitar comes on strong and seems to take a really flavorful lead that seems more jazz in nature than anything else. Wow, the meshing of genres is executed super interestingly here, and super well for that matter, with a mixture of middle eastern folk guitar sounds, swinging bluesy jazz percussion, and an exploratory jazz bass part. Wow, great track.
“I’m Looking Through You” is a cover of the song originally by The Beatles, and features some tasty, clean, punchy electric guitar that seems to gradually stir around and melt into the soundscape. The drum track has a really tasty sound that seemingly continually chugs the tune along. Really sweet cover.
Oh wow, “Hummingbird” continues the album along with some really flavorful sounds that seem to evoke a bit of a tropical sound between the mixture of the acoustic and electric guitar, the laid-back vocal performance, or the non-traditional percussion instrumentation in terms of a traditional western drum kit. Oh wow, the electric guitar almost has some vague surf rock vibes to its playing. I really dig the pacing of this tune within the context of the album so far, with each tune feeling natural coming off the heels of the previous track. Great track.
Holy smokes, “Watermelon Man” has me hooked in almost immediately with super impressive acoustic guitar work that seems to dance around the edges of the soundscape as it moves around, all to the samba-like beat of the relatively simple percussion, and as the bass guitar gives the guitar a super sturdy jazz-inflected platform to play off of. Holy smokes, the acoustic guitar work in this track is super tasty, and definitely reminds me a ton of Bert Jansch. Wow, awesome track.
“Stormy Monday” starts out with some incredibly bluesy playing from the acoustic guitar, which gradually brings in a slow-swinging bluesy jazz rhythm section between the walking bass guitar and the airy drums. Holy smokes, this is sweet. Oh wow, the tune gradually picks up more of a rockin’ groove as the track continues along, with the vocals having somewhat of an earlier rock and roll quality to them. Oh wow, the jam section just after the midway point in the tune is full of great rock and roll flavors while still retaining that acoustic folksy jazz-inflected blues quality. Wow, great track.
Oh wow, “Money Honey” starts off in a really grooving acoustic sounding blues rock style with the strong backbeat and the walking bass line, while the acoustic guitar lays down some super tasty quick chords along that rhythm section as the groovy vocals seem to guide the tune along. Super sweet tune.
“Walkin’ The Dog” starts out with some stomps and/or claps that get the tune grooving along. Oh wow, this track is sweet. The descending bass line makes the tune feel like it’s constantly grooving, while being driven forward by that strong backbeat from the drums, super sweet. Oh wow, the clean guitar tone has some great punchiness to it, which seems to evoke a sound in between the earlier days of rock and roll in the late 50s and the flavors that would come about by the late 1960s, I really dig it. Great track.
Oh wow, “Fire In My Soul” is a really grooving cover of the traditional blues tune by Blind Willie Johnson that the Grateful Dead would cover from time to time in their earlier days. Oh wow, this is sweet, the bluesy acoustic guitar is keeping really nice pace with the acoustic jazz sound of the rhythm section, which seems to evoke more of a rock and roll sound that necessarily bluesy sound. Great track.
Oh wow, “Lost Lover Blues” has more of that tasty jazz-inflected folksy acoustic blues sound. All of the songs on the album so far don’t sound like they’ve wasted a single moment, with each tune grooving along to the next note in a somewhat jazz-like style while playing some bluesy tunes. Super sweet track.
Oh wow, “Neighbor, Neighbor” has a really flavorful acoustic blues sound that’s got a really strong rockin’ feel to the rhythm section. Holy smokes, this sounds like acoustic rock and roll if I’ve ever heard it, super sweet. Wow, I got really into this track for a moment and before I knew it, the song was over. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Jubilation” seems to groove on over to the jazz side of the soundscape for the album, with a super tasty sound that sounds like it’s straight out of the New Orleans jazz scene with the celebratory nature of the tune. Great track.
Oh wow, “Rags And Old Iron” seems to lean into the sound of the blues more heavily than any other track on the album so far, with the simple beat moving the track forward, while the bass guitar almost sounds like it’s trudging along with some super heavy bass notes, all while the acoustic guitar creates bluesy accentuations and reverberations as it follows along the vocal line. Wow, super flavorful track.
Holy smokes, “Jelly Roll Baker” starts out with some super tasty sweet acoustic guitar that sets the pace for the groove in this blues-tinged jazz tune. Holy smokes, this tune feels like the album is both reaching a peak in terms of momentum and generally coming to a natural sounding finish. Oh wow, the bass gets super heavy as the acoustic guitar seems to groove along with some weightless accentuations to this super sweet groovy tune. Wow, great track and a great way to finish the album.
Holy smokes this album is tasty. The blurring of genres becomes seamless as jazz, blues, and folk seem to meld together into a mostly acoustic sounding version of rock and roll, while still retaining distinct flavors of jazz, blues, and folk accordingly. If you play guitar at all, and/or if you enjoy acoustic fusions of jazz, blues, and folk from the mid-1960s, you might want to consider checking out this album. Some of the ideas in the playing of the guitar seemed timeless, while the diverse and natural flowing of genres within and between songs kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A