CeDell Davis
The Horror Of It All
[Fat Possum/Epitaph]
Rating: 7.2
Now here's a man with the blues. CeDell Davis was born in 1927 and
spent his early years on an Arkansas plantation until he lost the use
of his right arm (and a good deal of the use of his legs) to a severe
polio affliction. Years later, he was trampled in a stampede in a
St. Louis tavern which broke his legs in so many places, he was
confined to a wheelchair.
Through it all, he's found ways of coping with the tragedies, and
blues appear to be his sole source of inspiration. These days, Davis
plays the guitar with silverware which, as we're told by CeDell's
press kit: "results in a welter of metal- stress harmonic transients
and a singular tonal plasticity." Maybe that means something to you.
The music on The Horror Of It All is pure Delta blues. From
the opening groove of "Coon Can Mattie" to the down- and- out misery
of "Worried Life" to the goofy- assed "If You Like Fat Women," the
CeDell Davis blues explosion never lets up. And his guitar sounds
awesome.
-Ryan Schreiber
