CD - Reverend Gary Davis "A Little More Faith"

The Reverend Gary Davis's other two early-1960s Prestige/Bluesville titles--Harlem Street Singer and Say No to the Devil--were released on CD years ago, but this middle title finally makes its first digital appearance in 1999. All three of his Prestige albums are absolutely riveting, although you could say that about anything he cut except for his very last recordings. Along with his original 1930s work and his late-1950s Folkways cuts, these three sets were touchstones of the burgeoning folk revival and a major influence on countless blues, folk, and rock performers. Davis had not yet returned to secular music in 1961, and so these 12 cuts all fall on sacred ground. His blend of ragtime, gospel, and Piedmont country blues remains one of the most potent forces in 20th-century music; nobody ever immersed himself in the moment of performance as completely. Your only challenge will be deciding what is more remarkable: his magical guitar runs or his passionate preaching voice. --Marc Greilsamer