Artist: Cray, Robert
Label: Sanctuary Records
Released: 2003
Rating: 4/5
Robert Cray belongs to the younger generation of blues musicians who woke up the blues movement in the early 80s and, with their fresh new approach, kicked off a kind of renaissance for blues music, winning over younger listeners and older blues diehards alike. Weaving in funk and soul elements and playing with an unbelievably easy yet precise touch, Cray searches for new solutions and pushes the blues far past the boundaries of music-making that seemed fixed until then, creating a unique blend of interesting, exciting music that still doesn’t stray far from traditional blues in its core message.
Time Will Tell presents itself as a similarly unique mix of blues and funk, often spiked with a dash of soul, and thanks mostly to the dominant vocals, it grabs the listener’s attention from the first line. Despite all the “side” influences, though, Cray stays loyal to his first love, the blues, the whole way through. Survivor, the opener, with its clipped, uncompromising approach, sketches out the mood of the whole album at first glance, though that first impression can be deceiving. The raw edge that comes through in the simple clean guitar, paired with wild, way-up-front piano, makes for an effective and commanding combination. The strict rhythm section, which gets even more punch from the rough production, is the polar opposite of the next track, the pop – soul number Up In The Sky. Cray’s version of the original Back Door Man gets a newer, more modern makeover with Back Door Slam. It’s a great blues tune in which Cray, with typical blues rhetoric, casts himself as an unpredictable, godforsaken character you really don’t want to mess with. You simply can’t get past Cray’s guitar interpretation here, which goes from gently coaxing tones to an emotionally charged devil’s game at astonishing speed. Blues is music that demands of a player, above all, the ability to understand its emotional side, relying on simple melodic phrases with a strong message, even at the expense of technique and other musical qualities. Cray certainly doesn’t lack technique, he just doesn’t obsess over it, which says a lot about the guitarist’s maturity.
I Didn’t Know is yet another proof of the guitarist’s masterful rhetoric. Much like Lotta Lovin’, with its softness and warmth, beautifully interwoven with a conversational, constantly whispering guitar, it conjures up some of the loveliest music you’ll ever hear. Truly blues for everyone. Cray gets a little closer to his roots with What You Need (Good Man). The velvety vocal, this time backed only by bass, keyboards and drums, creates a slightly wicked atmosphere that would probably have served someone like Howlin’ Wolf well in another era. Professional care, where a little wickedness certainly doesn’t hurt. Cray’s mastery and versatility show in his constant mood swings, which effectively break up any monotony that might creep into his albums. Same goes for Spare Me Some Love?, where we suddenly find ourselves wrapped up in a bouncy rhythm and fun lyrics, nicely rounded off by an organ solo that’s maybe a bit too pushy. One of the weirder ones is Distant Shore, where Cray sails a little too far in his string of “surprises.” The otherwise excellent track could use a bit more direction, without which it sticks out a little from the album’s overall concept. The album closes with the ambient Time Makes Two, which wraps up this very listenable record in a melancholy mood, and with which Cray nicely points to the colorful palette of possibilities and directions the blues could take in the future. With musicians like Robert Cray, no worries at all!
Lineup
Robert Cray – vocals/guitar
Jim Pugh – keyboards
Kevin Hayes – drums
Karl Sevareid – bass
Production
Jim Pugh & Robert Cray
Track List
1.Survivor
2.Up In The Sky
3.Back Door Slam
4.I Didn’t Know
5.Your Pal
6.Lotta Lovin’
7.What You Need (Good Man)
8.Spare Some Love?
9.Distant Shore
10.Time Makes Two
Album length: 48.51
