This came out in 2001 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Going strictly by his backstory, Guy Davis might not seem like the most authentic bluesman. The son of Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Guy was raised in New York City and seems to have spent as much time with a script in his hand as a guitar — he’s done TV, made movies, starred on Broadway and written plays.
But any red flags raised by his artsy uptown resume are quickly blown away by the down-home beauty of his latest CD Butt Naked Free. With a finger-picking style reminiscent of the rural folk-blues of Taj Mahal — and with nods to everyone from Son House to Tom Waits — Davis growls like an old juke-jointer at the crossroads as he prowls his way through 14 rustic slices of natch’l blues as good as anything from south of the Mason-Dixon. He may not have the right birthplace, but if talent and dedication count, Davis is as close to a true bluesman as you can get.
