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Binding: Audio CDEAN: 5050749228529 Format: Enhanced, Import Number Of Discs: 1 Release Date: December 02, 2008 Editorial Review: Amazon.com: "The blues is a chair," John Lennon once said of the music's primacy. Yet for many artists the genre often seems more like a straightjacket, one that even a modern legend like Robert Cray has struggled to escape during the course of a multi-Grammy career. But the Georgia veteran has pulled off something of a sly escape trick here, taking the freedom offered by a change in record labels to team with keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Jim Pugh on a slate of performances that are by turns looser, funkier, and more far-ranging in their subject matter. Cray wastes no time in boldly staking out that new turf on the pointed, country-gospel-rooted, antiwar "Survivor." From there Cray immediately makes another jarring turn into the psych-pop of "Up in the Sky," trading his trademark Strat for the rare, distinctive tones of an electric sitar. Even Cray's more familiar blues tack is variously tinged with slippery swamp tones ("Back Door Slam"), slinky Memphis grooves ("Your Pal," featuring the Family Stone horns, and "What You Need"), and the propulsive Caribbean inflections of "Distant Shore." Those more adventurous forays only underscore the elegant drama of "Time Makes Two," where Cray dramatically evokes the blues' holy trinity: a broken heart, soulful voice, and lyrical guitar. --Jerry McCulley Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Buying Cray from the discount bins nowI've been listening to Robert Cray for over 20 years now. I like the guy. He's a smooth guitarist, not flashy, tasteful licks, solid player. I like him even more as a vocalist. The problem for me is that after just listening to all of his discs in a couple of days I realized my overall interest in his music has been dwindling as the CD's go by. I have seen him several times live. I would listen again in a festival setting. I don't think I would pay premium price to see him only now. As I ... Read More Rating: - No Strong Persuader but Good Nevertheless!Robert Cray is a leading light of his genre; way back when I first heard "Strong Persuader" and "Who's Been Talking" I was struck by just how good this guy was in making what had become stale sound fresh and new again. Even the top proponent of the electric blues at the time and probably ever, Eric Clapton, thought so as he publicly announced at the time that he was a fan. Now we get on his new record label, Sanctuary, something different but still fresh-sounding, reviving what for ... Read More Rating:  - no sellout here.."I'm so glad to be here today" "The good old days were such a waste of time" "surviver,you got to choose" The song is much more than an Anti war song. "Back Door Slam",is another bomb,in a good way. "What you need,is a good man" is another vintage Cray band track. This is real music for real people. No one could ever sway me... Rating: - Take it from a pro. Cray's the real deal.Being a working professional musician I am always looking for music that is true and inspiring. Regardless of if you are a blues fan or not, Robert Cray is one of the best performers out there in any genre. His recent work (Midnight Stroll and newer) leans more towards soul than traditional blues. The subject matter is your typical "she done me wrong" blues cannon but he sells it like it should be sold. It's completely genuine. He's an incomparable vocalist who sings like a bird. His guitar playing, ... Read More Rating:  - Political Garbage!Memo to Robert Cray... With your already dwindling fan base, you'd do well not to write songs with political messages. Chances are, you'll be offending at least 1/2 of your fans (me included), and that's gonna hurt sales even further. I have to say, I've been following you since Strong Persuader (even saw you in LA that year, when you performed with Clapton)...but this is the first disc of yours that I had to throw out. |
