2018 – Chin Music Records
By Phillip Smith; Dec. 29, 2018
Tales
From the West, the second release from Florida blues-rock trio Shaw
Davis & the Black Ties, is an engaging balls-to-the-wall smash hit. Front-man Shaw Davis coaxes a tsunami
of sound from his guitar, culminating in an explosive performance. The remainder of this killer band is
comprised of bassist Patrick Stevenson, and drummer Bobby Van Stone.
With a taste of Texas blues, “Take My Hand” rocks
hard, and begs to be heard loudly. Davis
takes the listener to the cosmos and back with his stellar guitar
commandeering. The psychedelic groove on
title track “Tales From the West” is ominous and infectious. It digs right into my skull, and hangs out
quite a while. “Mamma Told Me” brings
more Texas blues back in full regalia.
It sounds fantastic. Davis
takes another jammin’ venture into the cosmos of psychedelia on “Atomic Groove”.
This band is the first I have ever heard to
fearlessly take on Frank Zappa. When
“Willie the Pimp” began, I was not only impressed at the cajones it took to cover a Zappa
song, but I was amazed at how great this sounded. The only other cover on the album, “I Gotta
Try You Girl”, from North Mississippi blues legend Junior Kimbrough, is
loaded with searing guitar and rock-solid vocals.
Tales
From the West is an astonishing forty-seven minute listen. The
louder it’s heard, the better it sounds. It’s just that good of a record.
