Search - Robert Cray :: Live From Across the Pond

Live From Across the Pond
Robert Cray
Live From Across the Pond
Genres: Blues, Pop, Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (7) - Disc #1
  •  Track Listings (7) - Disc #2

Subtlety is both a blessing and curse for Robert Cray. In the studio, his increasingly restrained arrangements have served to frame his growing mastery of classic Memphis soul, allowing his soaring, vibrato-rich voice to c...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Robert Cray
Title: Live From Across the Pond
Members Wishing: 3
Total Copies: 0
Label: Vanguard Records
Original Release Date: 1/1/2006
Re-Release Date: 9/12/2006
Genres: Blues, Pop, Rock
Styles: Contemporary Blues, Electric Blues, Modern Blues
Number of Discs: 2
SwapaCD Credits: 2
UPCs: 015707981521, 0607396611027, 060739661102, 015707981521

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Subtlety is both a blessing and curse for Robert Cray. In the studio, his increasingly restrained arrangements have served to frame his growing mastery of classic Memphis soul, allowing his soaring, vibrato-rich voice to carry tunes that directly echo the Stax years. That can work well live, too, and does so here in "Phone Booth" and the funky distillation "Back Door Slam," an ode to sexy down-home belters like Little Johnnie Taylor. But too often Cray downplays his incendiary guitar abilities on stage, which makes long numbers like "The One in the Middle" interminable, and leaves this two-disc live set--recorded during a week of shows opening for Eric Clapton at London's Royal Albert Hall in May 2006--full of cold spots. Things heat up whenever Cray picks up his Stratocaster in earnest, whether he's plucking out fat, singing notes à la Albert Collins in his radio hit "I Guess I Showed Her" or weaving a slow, soulful path through the bridge of the ballad "The Things You Do to Me," using his whammy bar and unpredictable variations on the melody to conjure shades of introspection. Overall, this set will please Cray's die-hard fans, but is unlikely to lure new listeners. --Ted Drozdowski

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CD Reviews

Good representation of Robert Cray in the 2000's
Chris Hart | USA | 05/15/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a fan of Robert Cray's from the earliest days (yes, I'm that old ). His shows don't have the same energy they did years ago, but hey we all age. If you are a fan, you probably already have this, but if you're on the fence, I wouldn't call it a "must have." But it you are someone who is adding Cray to your library for the first time, this would be a good choice. Because it covers the spectrum of his career and allows you to hear what it's like when you see him live. My only criticism of this recording is with regard to the drums. The sound of the cymbals on the overhead mics is really annoying. Every time they are hit, all I can hear is the doppler effect swishing and it's very distracting. Either these mics should have been set further back into the mix, or the original sound guy should have positioned these mics higher up. When I listen at a low volume, the sound is tolerable. But when I turn it up, I can usually only listen for 3 or 4 songs before those cymbals drive me nuts. But I have more sensitive ears than most folks and I'm probably in a tiny minority of folks who will notice this. But I had to mention it, because for this big fan it really does ruin the show!"