Tyrone Davis

A class act with a comfortable voice, Davis plays the wounded lover-man role with a hint of good-ole-southern-boy innocence mixed in. From the spoken pleading of "Can I Change My Mind" to the feel-good danceabilty of mid-tempo numbers like "Turn Back the Hands of Time," the Mississippi-bred, Chicago-based singer got it consistently "right" throughout his 1968-1976 stint with the Dakar label. He fronted a sharp band featuring not-too-sweet string arrangements and on-the-money horn charts, eventually landing a deal with CBS/Columbia in the late '70s. The inevitable slickening-up has occurred since, but his vocals have at least maintained the old balance of grit and finesse. Still, it's tough to beat those early records. Davis passed away in 2005, leaving behind a legacy of great Chicago soul music.