Project Description
.
ROBERT CRAY
“That’s What I Heard”
(Album Review)
Reviewer: Colin Reid
.
.
After more than 40 years in the business, 5 Grammy awards and millions of record sales the Blues Hall of Fame nominee Robert Cray has become an elder statesmen of the contemporary blues and may no longer be ‘young Bob’ but he is having way too much fun to think about retirement.
“That’s What I Heard” is his 20th studio album. ‘Funky, cool and bad’ is how Cray describes. It is a mix of Cray originals and interspersed between classics, but not standards, that celebrate the works of some of his musical heroes and just like the man himself it is an ageless mix of blues, soul funk and R&B.
.
.
Once again production is entrusted with long-time friend, drummer and producer Steve Jorden and following on from the Jordan produced ‘Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm’ this album once again has a genuine warmth to it that you can feel as well as hear. The rhythm section of the band is given a free reign over some of these tracks particularly in the homages to idols. There are some songs that make you want to get up and dance to, some you want to sing along with and some that just have that pure classic Cray contemporary blues sound that hasn’t changed for 40 years.
People think of Robert Cray as predominately an amazing guitarist and his distinctive Fender Strat sound is unmistakable however he is not always appreciated for the versatility, strength and quality of his vocals. Jordan is on a mission to change that. He produces albums that demand to be listened to and showcase the strengths of Cray’s ageless voice.
.
.
.
The album kicks off with “Anything You Want’. This is classic Cray material, contemporary blues at its best. It could have could from his big selling albums of the 1980s when he made the surprising cross over to MTV. It is sure to become a mainstay of live performances. Straight from there he switches to gospel on the Sensational Nightingales track ‘Burying Ground’ and then he transitions into the soul / R&B Bobby Bland classic ‘You’re the one’. This is a song that really allows him to show just how good his warm and fluid voice is. The style then switches again on the next track ‘This Man’. At first listen I didn’t quite get how this fitted with the rest of the album until you realise that, just like 2017’s “How Low Can You Go” this song is a swipe at Donald Trump and the house that Cray has to get ‘This man’ out of is the White House.
.
.
‘Hot’ is another Cray original, I love the lyrics perhaps they are an indication that he hasn’t yet given up on his ‘you Bob’ alter ego? “ask my baby, she’ll tell you I’m hot, she loves the way I turn up the heat, 10, 11, 12”. Oh yeah he’s still got it baby! Of all the covers on this album, my personal favourite is the treatment he gives to Don Gardiner’s ‘My Bay Likes to Boogaloo”. It is a lets down and dirty and fill the dance floor soul classic that Don, had he still been alive, would have welcomed at the Philadelphia Clef Club.
This not a retro record. It may be a homage but it is not an attempt to live in the past. Rather it takes the past and brings it to life. All in all this is a wonderful record my record of the year so far without a doubt. I really hope he brings the band back to Australia to tour it soon.
.
.
Check out ROBERT CRAY below
Website Facebook Instagram
Twitter Youtube
.
Click HERE
.
