Davy Graham 1940-2008

Large As Life and Twice As Natural from 1967 is Davy Graham's best work, and its re-issue is worthy of special attention. Graham covers several traditional American tunes from the past, such as the sassy Bessie Smith hit "Electric Chair", which Graham sarcastically calls "One of the most ingeniously subtle of the ´urban composed´ type of 1920s-´30s blues".

Graham and his combo (Danny Thompson on double bass, Jon Hiseman on drums, and Dick Heckstall-Smith on saxophone) turn each of these songs into something that´s both strange yet familiar by doing well-known tunes from the folk blues repertoire with exotic touches drawn from their vast knowledge of global sources. Graham sings lead on these tunes with a pleasant and unaffected voice. He doesn´t try to imitate the vocalists of the past or turn the art into artifice. He sings ´em straight.

Graham´s familiarity with international music finds its greatest expression in the instrumentals "Sunshine Raga" and "Blues Raga". He employs a distinctive, original modal tuning of his acoustic guitar that incorporates both Eastern and Western elements

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