Geater Davis

By all rights, Geater Davis should have been a star -- the man had a strong and emotionally eloquent voice, he was a solid songwriter, and also a fine guitar player. But Davis never connected with a record label that had the muscle to make him heard outside of a few markets in the South and West, and his smooth but bluesy style was not what radio was looking for during the early 1970s. Davis enjoyed his greatest success working with producer Allen Orange for his House of Orange label, and I'll Play the Blues for You features 16 selections from Davis' tenure with Orange. Davis clearly owed a debt to Bobby "Blue" Bland in his vocal style, but there was a rough edge and an understated but potent emotional urgency in Davis' delivery that set him apart from his influences, and when he was allowed the space for a grand scale performance, like the extended versions of "Cry Cry Cry" and "For Your Precious Love" that appear on this set, Davis made it clear he was a performer with the talent and ambition to make it to the top. Sadly, his record label didn't quite have the juice to take him there, and the story in Jeff Kuhn's fine liner notes is one of missed opportunity following missed opportunity until 1984, when heart failure claimed Davis' life at the age of 38. A cross-licensed compilation of material from the various labels that David worked with during his abbreviated career would be welcome, but I'll Play the Blues for You is a fine sampler from his most creatively fruitful period, and fans of classic Southern-style soul will find this to be very satisfying stuff. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide