Artist: Cray, Robert
Label: Rykodisc Records
Release: 2001
Duration: 53.13
Rating: 3/5
Multiple Grammy winner and figurehead of the new generation of guitar blues rock Robert Cray gradually drifted into what you might call his “mature creative period” around the turn of the millennium. In a bid to craft more listenable records, and so lean harder on the magical intimacy of soul, he turned his back on the blues for a few key moments. True to Cray’s old recipe, Shoulda Been Home carries on serving up undemanding musical nods toward soul, naturally tailored to the great guitarist’s recognizable style. Still, with so little real blues on offer, this record comes off as a pretty lukewarm, maybe even too one-note effort next to the high standards of Cray’s past triumphs.
This time around Robert Cray keeps rocking us steadily through a dreamy world of mellow soul, which, as he’s crept toward his later years, has clearly moved closer and closer to his heart and soul. The resulting lack of fire and energy in the playing of an artist once famously explosive on guitar has definitely left its mark on the man’s thoughts and ideas, which, with a bit of audacity, we could call a milder form of creative stagnation. Tracks like “No One Special” give an unwelcome sign of it: in their anonymity, they never get further than average soul/pop-flavored lamenting. The creeping virus of apathy, at first cleverly hidden under a mask of dreaminess and intimate ambience, has taken hold of “Cry For Me Baby” too. Neither track has any real musical vitality, and the otherworldly warmth of Cray’s vocals isn’t all-powerful either, so the songs are left with nothing but a failed hunt for that trademark Cray vibe. And since we’re stuck with (nothing but) soul, “Already Gone” and “I’m Afraid” end up as the proud contenders for the best distillation of the primary traits of the forced genre.
Shoulda Been Home does have a few real highlights here and there too. The first to single out is “Love Sickness”, a wild track whose sparkle is almost unthinkable for such a mellow record, and which charges in combining Cray’s classic interplay of voice and guitar with some solid horn arrangements. We finally catch Robert Cray at the peak of his bluesy form right at the end of the album. The clearer outlines of the guitarist’s genius first show up in the organic solo spot of “Out Of Eden”, where suppressed emotions steadily pile up on the way to a final eruption. Cray’s exceptional interpretive chops, including his innate knack for recreating the magic of long-forgotten classic blues works, finally lay themselves bare in the finale with a robust arrangement of Elmore James’ “The 12 Year Old Boy”, which is simply bursting with the spicy aromas of traditional blues!
Shoulda Been Home is definitely an album that will find its admirers without any trouble worth mentioning, both among longtime fans of Cray’s music and among those of you who mainly like to flirt with soul and its modern derivatives, scrubbed clean of “unpleasant” sexual connotations. Either way, Cray’s confidence at steering through soul waters remains masterful in every musical respect. The only thing to be sorry about is the lack of daring that would have made chewing through the album’s at-moments-too-bland content a lot juicier.
Lineup
Robert Cray: vocals, guitar
Jim Pugh: keyboards
Karl Sevareid: bass
Kevin Hayes: drums
Andrew Love: tenor saxophone
Ben Cauley: trumpet
Jack Hale: trombone
Production
Steve Jordan
Track list
1. Baby’s Arms
2. Already Gone
3. Anytime
4. Love Sickness
5. I’m Afraid
6. No One Special
7. Out of Eden
8. Cry for Me Baby
9. Far Away
10. Renew Blues
11. Help Me Forget
12. The 12 Year Old Boy
