Search - Robert Cray :: Take Your Shoes Off

Take Your Shoes Off
Robert Cray
Take Your Shoes Off
Genres: Blues, Pop, Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (12) - Disc #1

Robert Cray's spent the '90s evolving from West Coast bluesman to Memphis soul belter. So Cray's restrained guitar playing on his first CD for Rykodisc--after his unhappy departure from his longtime label Mercury--comes as...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Robert Cray
Title: Take Your Shoes Off
Members Wishing: 1
Total Copies: 0
Label: Rykodisc
Original Release Date: 4/27/1999
Release Date: 4/27/1999
Genres: Blues, Pop, Rock
Styles: Contemporary Blues, Electric Blues, Modern Blues
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 014431047923, 014431047961

Synopsis

Amazon.com essential recording
Robert Cray's spent the '90s evolving from West Coast bluesman to Memphis soul belter. So Cray's restrained guitar playing on his first CD for Rykodisc--after his unhappy departure from his longtime label Mercury--comes as no surprise. What's shocking is the utter perfection of his emulation of the signature sounds of the classic Stax and Hi Records singles of the '60s and early '70s. Cray's voice exhibits the delirious growl-to-falsetto flights of a young Al Green on numbers like "What About Me," "Love Gone to Waste," and the prisoner-of-love weeper "Pardon." But his arrangements--heavy on kick drum, fatback horn grooves, and organ flourishes--retain a grit that Hi in particular lost over time. And when he launches into a guitar solo like the probing corker that climaxes his take on Willie Dixon's "Toll the Bells," Cray rekindles the influence of his late mentor Albert Collins and reasserts himself as a torchbearer of stinging blues. --Ted Drozdowski

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Member CD Reviews

Thomas K. from HORNELL, NY
Reviewed on 6/18/2010...
Another great album from Robert Cray. He continues to put out excellent blues.

CD Reviews

A Sweet Soul Journey
M. Phillips | Asheville, NC | 06/21/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)

"Robert Cray continues his journey into soul that he began in earnest with Sweet Potato Pie (a virtual tribute to the late great Otis Redding). Ending an unhappy relationship with his long time label, Mercury Records, Cray has taken his considerable talents to Rykodisc, a label well-known for their hands-off approach, and Cray has used that advantage to create a wonderful album that manages to evoke the sweet soul sound of the 60s Stax/Volt records. Over the years, Cray has honed his voice into a near perfect copy of the soul singers of the 60s, sounding like a cross between Redding and a young Al Green, and on "24-7 Man" his Redding imitation is perfection. Cray has never been so restrained in his guitar skills and so focused on his voice. Gone are the usual blistering blues riffs, and the music, which is heavy on backbeat and bass, uses the guitar to lightly accent the songs rather than to grab the listeners attention. For an attention grabber, he uses his voice. For these reasons, some longtime fans may be disappointed. They shouldn't be. This sweet soul journey is a real treat."
Had to follow the instructions
bluesmanjed | Norwich, NY United States | 01/14/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)

"At first listen, I wasn't really into this CD. I was questioning where did the great guitar work get off to. But then I did what the title said and took my shoes off, kicked back and relaxed. Wow, amazing. The more I listened, the more it reached out to me. Much praise to 'Young Bob' for sharing this mellow, soulful work."