1. Life Of The Party - 3:48
 2. Love Spin - 4:00
 3. Let The Heartaches Begin - 4:15
 4. Don't Change It Up - 4:31
 5. It's All Blues - 3:33
 6. Talk Real Slow - 3:37
 7. I'm Not Cheatin' Yet - 2:56
 8. Two Twenty-Five-Year-Olds - 4:20
 9. A Darker Side Of Me - 4:32
10. I Get The Blues So Easy - 5:05
11. Way Back Home - 2:48

Debbie Davies – guitar, vocals
Paul Opalach - keyboard, lap steel, bass
Wilbo Wright – bass
Scott Spray - bass
Don Castagno – drums
+
Terry Hanck - saxophone
Dana Robbins - saxophone
Dave Keyes - piano 
Jay Stollman – vocals

Debbie wrote four of the songs, Don Opalach five and there are two covers. Debbie’s four songs bookend the album. “Life Of The Party” is dedicated to the late John Juke Logan and finds Debbie playing some fine lead over her funky rhythm work and makes for a great opener to the album. The title track follows with Debbie trading licks with Paul’s moody lap steel. Debbie has always been a strong guitarist (playing with Albert Collins will do that for you!) but her vocals here are also very good and fit the songs well. The last two cuts on the album find Debbie in contrasting moods: “I Get The Blues So Easy” finds Debbie in a panic about all her worries, but concludes that it will all come good in the end: “I’m looking towards the future, gonna shake these blues in time”. Debbie plays some stinging guitar and duels with Terry’s funky sax. The final track “Way Back Home” has Debbie on swampy slide as she sings of coming full circle in life. The slide gives the song a classic Mississippi sound and it’s a short but sweet finale to the album.

Don’s songs start with the almost country ballad “Let The Heartaches Begin” which was originally released in 1997 but in this version features Terry’s languid sax as the main instrument as Debbie and Terry share the vocals. “Don’t Change It Up” finds Debbie sharing the vocals with Jay on a catchy R n’ B number with some fluid guitar from Debbie and funky bass from Scott. “It’s All Blues” is a slower tune that leans a little on Miles Davis’ tune of a similar name. Debbie’s guitar rings out and the tune also features Dana Robbins whose sax underpins the rhythm. “I’m Not Cheatin’ Yet” is swinging rock and roll with Dana’s rasping sax and Dave’s piano both getting solo space and the lyrics adding a sly sense of humour. In fact Debbie’s albums have always featured some funny songs and here it’s Don’s tale of the boastful character who declares that he is capable of doing better than his current deal: “If you wanna dream now baby let your dreams be bold; you say you’re gonna trade me in for two twenty-five year-olds”. Debbie’s lead lines are strong and Dave is again on hand for some boogie style piano.

The two covers are very different vehicles for Debbie. Lenny McDaniel’s “Talk Real Slow” is a nicely mid-paced number with Debbie delivering some sensual lyrics about her man and a dramatic wah-wah soaked solo. Swedish bluesman Sven Zetterburg is the source for “A Darker Side Of Me”, a song that Debbie states in the sleevenotes that she wishes she had written herself. As the title suggests, there is a darker side to us all and Debbie is no exception: “I’m sorry if I scared you but you just saw a darker side of me”. The playing here is gentle in tone with Don using brushes and an overall late-night jazz club feel.

Debbie has made a lot of good albums over the years but this one struck this reviewer as one of her best: strong songs, good vocals, fine guitar playing and a judicious selection of guest players to widen the sonic scope from the trio format. Consequently this one comes with a ‘recommended’ tag. ---John Mitchell, bluesblastmagazine.com

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01. Don't Put The Blame On Me (3:02)
02. The Fall (4:40)
03. True Blue Fool (4:26)
04. Done Sold Everything (4:32)
05. Little Broken Wing (3:29)
06. All Of My Forgiveness (2:57)
07. Goin' To A Gaggle (3:49)
08. I'll Feel Much Better When You Cry (4:34)
09. Down Home Girl (4:04)
10. R.R. Boogie (3:41)
11. Google Me Baby (2:51)

Debbie Davies - lead & rhythm guitars, vocals
Don Castagno – drums
Matt Lindsey – bass
Scott Hornick – bass
Bruce Katz - B3 organ
Dave Gross - rhythm guitar, bass (1), percussion
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Michael Bram – drums (1)
Jeremy Bram – piano (1)

Everyone knows Debbie Davies. Over the years she has established a standard of excellence for others to follow when it comes to blues guitar. She was fortunate enough to have played with Albert Collins and although his influence is apparent, she still makes songs her own. She has also played with and/or recorded with the likes of John Mayall, Duke Robillard, Peter Green, Mick Taylor and Tab Benoit (to name just a few).

After The Fall is Debbie’s 11th solo album, on the MC-Records label. his album well played. Performances are relaxed, and the playing is loose, but never messy. The other thing that becomes clear is that her playing is controlled, but never contrived. It has a light, joyful, unhurried quality. Standout cuts are scattered throughout, starting with the opener, “Don’t Put The Blame On Me”, which is a foot-tapping honky-tonk. “The Fall” (co-written by Davies and Castagno), has a great backbeat, nice lead playing, and the organ backdrop is perfect. “True Blue Fool” (also co-written by Davies and Castagno), is slow and mellow with some nice chording and a nice lead run. “Done Sold Everything” is a shuffle, and you can hear Collins’ influence; a nicely played piece.

The best cut on this album is “Little Broken Wing”: The playing is spacious and airy, soft, with a lot of texture. “All Of My Forgiveness” is another mellow blues with stunning guitar tone, and again, great lead playing. “R.R. Boogie” is just a jamming romp! The album closes with “Google Me Baby”, which is playful and sounds like a cool 1940’s tune – really well done. The level of musicianship on this album is excellent. The production and sound quality are very good and give the album a very relaxed, warm quality. This is a great album to play along with, or sit and enjoy with a good beer (or both). --- americanbluesscene.com

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01. Picture This - 4:33  
02. Sky Is Crying - 7:49  
03. Let Me Love You Baby - 5:01  
04. Come One - 4:19  
05. Side Tracked - 3:31  
06. Just A Little Bit - 6:18  
07. Ridin In The Moonlight - 4:58  
08. Cut You Loose - 5:11

Davies’ rise to the upper echelon of blues music started at an early age as she absorbed the music heard constantly in her home. Her (professional) musician parents were either sitting at the piano or spinning discs on their turntable, filling the air with the sounds of big band jazz, harmony vocal groups, or the pop icons of the day. But the young Davies was particularly attracted to the bluesier sounds of her father’s Ray Charles records, and by the age of 12 realized that her affinity for an instrument was not for the piano, but for the guitar.

Growing up in Los Angeles in the 1960’s, she found that being a female guitar player meant only one thing: acoustic guitar. Electric guitars were still toys meant only for boys. But when Debbie heard the sounds of the British blues-rock bands, particularly the electric guitar of Eric Clapton with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, she became completely captivated. Going against the grains of society’s accepted roles of the time, Debbie pursued her dream with the passion of an artist and the soul of a rebel.

Davies cut her teeth playing in blues and rock ‘n roll bands in the San Francisco Bay area before returning to Los Angeles in 1984, where she landed the lead guitar spot in Maggie Mayall and the Cadillacs, an all-female band led by wife of British blues pioneer, John Mayall. In 1988 she was recruited by Albert Collins to join the Icebreakers, and for the next three years she was a featured guitarist performing behind one of the most innovative bluesmen of all time. “I stepped through a door into the real blues world when I joined Albert’s band,” Davies says. “It’s one thing to listen to the records and pull off the licks, or sit in the audience watching these artists play. But actually going out and touring with one, turned the blues into something completely three-dimensional for me. I knew then what a special opportunity this was, but I know it even more now.” During her tenure with Albert, Debbie was invited to perform on John Mayall’s 1990 album, A Sense of Place, and in 1991 she recorded with Albert Collins and the Icebreakers on the Grammy nominated self-titled release for Point Blank/Virgin Records.

In the summer of 1991 Debbie became lead guitarist for Fingers Taylor and the Ladyfingers Revue, which served as the opening act for Jimmy Buffett’s “Outpost” tour. In September 1993 she came out with her debut solo release, Picture This, on Blind Pig Records, which featured a cameo by Collins on “I Wonder Why.” People like to ask Debbie if she learned her technique from Collins, to which she gently points out that she had to play well from the start to hold her own with Albert at every performance. However, the experience taught her lessons in being a better musician, both onstage and off. Says Davies, “It was the most powerful band I had ever played with, so I learned to dig even deeper into myself to pull out the music. Albert was a man of so much grace and kindness, so I can only hope that I was able to absorb some of his humanity too.”

Since 1993, Debbie has produced eleven solo recordings and two collaborative CD’s, one with guitarists Tab Benoit and Kenny Neal, and another with guitarists Anson Funderburgh and Otis Grand. The roster of other artists who have joined Debbie in the studio on her recordings reads like a who’s who of the blues: Albert Collins, Ike Turner, James Cotton, Mick Taylor, Peter Green, Coco Montoya, Duke Robillard, Tommy Shannon, Chris “Whipper” Layton, Sugar Ray Norcia, Mudcat Ward, Charlie Musselwhite, Bruce Katz, Per Hanson, Noel Neal, and Rod Carey.

Her 2007 Telarc Records release Blues Blast is highly-acclaimed and is a pressure cooker recording that showcases her seasoned guitar and vocal capabilities. It includes guest appearances by three high-profile bluesmen: guitarists Tab Benoit and Coco Montoya, and harpist Charlie Musselwhite.

In 2009, Debbie Davies released the ground-breaking and acclaimed all instrumental CD, HOLDIN’ COURT on Vizz Tone Records. That year also found Davies teaming up with blues singer and harp player, the late Robin Rogers to tour the country with performances at many festivals.

Davies also joined Tommy Castro’s Legendary Rythym and Blues Cruise Revue that same year, performing both on the land and at sea. Debbie Davies is featured on the 2011 release of the review performing the tune ALL I FOUND, on Alligator Records.

At the close of 2010, Debbie was deeply affected by the passing of Robin Rogers. Later that year Debbie suffered a broken arm…a “no-no” for a musician! As she began to heal, she started writing and putting many of her experiences and feelings into songs. The result is 2012′s, AFTER THE FALL on MC Records. The all-original CD also features songs written by Debbie’s long time drummer Don Castagno and a guest appearance by pianist Bruce Katz.

A thirty-year veteran of the road, this latest recording leaves no doubt that Debbie Davies is truly one of the leading lights on the contemporary blues music scene today. --- debbiedavies.com

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01. Howlin' At The Moon [0:04:23.35]
02. Tired Angels [0:03:48.45]
03. I Got That Feeling [0:04:04.32]
04. Watch Your Step [0:03:44.25]
05. Let The Heartaches Begin [0:03:20.67]
06. Lucky In Love [0:03:39.21]
07. Bad For Me [0:03:04.54]
08. Where You Keep The Love In This Town? [0:05:02.61]
09. Rockin' You Baby [0:03:24.07]
10. Homework [0:04:14.28]
11. Talk To Me [0:03:34.55]
12. I Could Get Used To This [0:04:12.62]

Personnel: 
Debbie Davies (vocals, guitar); 
Coco Montoya, Tab Benoit (vocals, guitar); 
Ernest Williamson (piano, organ); 
Lenny McDaniel (piano, background vocals); 
Don Castagno, Steve Potts (drums).

Davies' third album finds this artist moving in a much more "pop" direction, proving that she can both stretch her wings artistically and has far more to offer than merely recycled riffs and motifs filtered through a women's perspective. Her social consciousness raising quickly comes up for air on the opening track, "Howlin' At The Moon," one of only three Davies originals aboard this outing. But her interpretations of gospel pop ballad material like Lenny McDaniel's beautiful "Tired Angels," and duets with Coco Montoya on Albert Collins' title track and Tab Benoit on "Let The Heartaches Begin" are every bit as strong, her vocal skills showing more maturity and assuredness with each album. Her solo work is spot on, always paying homage to a wide variety of stylistic lessons well learned and solidly in the blues pocket with no added rock affectations to bog it down. But tracks like "Homework" (not the Otis Rush classic) make it clear that this is Debbie Davies being mainstreamed into Bonnie Raitt territory and she doesn't sound uncomfortable there at all, making this a most ambitious effort. ---Cub Koda, Rovi

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01- Fishnet
02- Down at the Honky Shack
03- Tryin' To Keep It Real
04- Okie Dokie Stomp					play
05- Percolatin'
06- So What
07- Atras De Tus Ojos
08- Holdin' Court
09- I Wonder Why
10- If You Love Me Like You Say
11- Zoom-in'							play

Personnel: 
Debbie Davies - producer
Paul Opalach (organ).

I purchased this CD in advance of the release date and was very much satisfied with the driving instrumentals. Here's some old-school blues that will stick to your ribs. There are five covers and six originals that really rock out in that familiar blues tone of a long time master. I really enjoy Debbie's guitar on all of these tracks, it's what you yearn for when you see her live. It's back to blues guitar basics on this album and no vocals to distract though after a while you miss that vocal instrument of Davies. My only complaint about this CD is the length of each tune, I'd love to hear an extended version on just about all of these tracks. Add it to your DD collection, you won't be disappointed and go see her live whenever you get the chance. --- Ruatan Red (Maryland, USA), amazon.com

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1. Love The Game 3:50
2. Can't Live Like This No More 4:15
3. Fired Up 4:344. Down In The Trenches 4:50
5. Worst Kinda Man 3:15
6. Can't Find The Blues 3:07
7. Was Ya Blue 3:35
8. I'm Just Your Fool 3:35
9. Leading Me Home 3:51
10. Funky Little Teapot 3:28
11. She's Takin' Notes 3:30
12. Keep Your Sins To Yourself 2:51
13. Grow Up, Grow Old 4:43

Musicians:
Debbie Davies (vocals, guitar); 
Coco Montoya, Duke Robillard (guitar, background vocals); 
Doug James, "Sax" Gordon Beadle (saxophone); 
Bruce Katz (piano, organ); 
Alan J. Hager (bass); 
Don Castagno (drums).

Debbie Davies is more than an exceptional guitarist she is also a prolific songwriter and performer releasing her 8th CD in 8 years with 13 new original tunes. One can only sustain such a pace if they truly "Love The Game" and it is clear that Davies does just that.

"Love The Game" is Davies finest release since the 1999 release of "Tales From the Austin Motel". Prior to that, she hasn't released a CD of this quality since her debut CD in 1993, "Picture This".

On this disc, Davies playing is dead on and the lyrics are well composed. Check out "Fired Up" an instrumental that would be equally at home on any Albert Collins CD or the Bonnie Raitt sounding "I'm Just Your Fool". If there is a clunker on this disc, it would be the nonsensical "Funky Little Teapot".

This CD should please most blues fans and keep Davies fans satisfied for the next 18 months or until her next release. --- deepbluereview, amazon.com

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1. A.C. Strut (Coco Montoya) 
2. My Time After Awhile (Coco Montoya) 
3. Sittin' and Cryin' (Coco Montoya, Charlie Musselwhite) 
4. Movin' & Groovin' (Charlie Musselwhite) 
5. Crawling King Snake (Tab Benoit) 
6. Howlin' For My Darlin' (Tab Benoit) 
7. Like You Was Gone (Coco Montoya) 
8. Where the Blues Come To Die (Coco Montoya, Tab Benoit, Charlie 
9. Sonoma Sunset (Coco Montoya, Tab Benoit, Charlie Musselwhite)

Personnel: 
Debbie Davies (vocals, guitar); 
Debbie Davies; Bruce Katz (Hammond b-3 organ); 
Rod Carey (bass guitar); 
Tab Benoit (vocals, guitar); 
Charlie Musselwhite (vocals, harmonica); 
Coco Montoya (guitar); 
Per Hanson (drums).

Any blues fan dedicated to live music will testify that when musicians play with their peers, the energy rises a few notches. That's the concept behind this meeting of the minds hosted by guitarist Debbie Davies. Fellow string-benders Tab Benoit and Coco Montoya (both have worked with her previously) join harmonica veteran Charlie Musselwhite and let the resulting fireworks naturally explode. Typically, these projects wind up being overdubbed affairs, a process that dilutes and often negates the concept. But except for a few instances, largely with Benoit, Davies and her musical friends assembled in the studio, resulting in the titular explosion. Both Montoya and Davies apprenticed under Albert Collins, and the opening "A.C. Strut" captures the Texas blues legend's loose shuffle style as the guitarists trade sizzling licks. Montoya and Musselwhite join for "Sittin' and Cryin'," a finger-snapping Davies original where the harpist tears into a limber and authentic Little Walter-styled solo topped only by the next track, his own "Movin' & Groovin'," to which he also contributes lead vocals. Davies turns the microphone over to Benoit on John Lee Hooker's "Crawling King Snake," moving the proceedings down to the muggy Louisiana swamps. But when the participants join on "Like You Was Gone," the summit cooks. The closing 10-minute romp on a slow, minor-key instrumental "Sonoma Sunset" again finds the foursome swapping licks as the temperature progressively intensifies and the resulting jam shoots through the roof. ---Hal Horowitz, Rovi

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