By Rosalind Cummings-Yeates
ROBERT & HAYES
I t ’ s been over 30 years since Robert Cray blazed into the ' 80s blues revival with his seminal album , Strong Persuader ( High Tone ). He managed to harness a pivotal moment in blues culture where renewed visibility pushed the music into mainstream attention for the first time in decades . But along with the sold out shows , with a cover of Bill Withers “ The Same Love That Made Me Laugh ,” complete with churchy organ and Southern-fried belting , the magic is clear . The spirits of Wright and Clay must surely have been floating around because the effect of Robert ’ s reverence for Memphis blues and soul , paired with seamless Memphis musicians channeled some
Robert Cray
16 illinoisentertainer . com january 2018
crossover hits and Grammy ’ s came accusations that Robert ’ s brand of blues was watered down and more of a hybrid of soul and rock . Despite playing blues guitar with the soul of Albert King and penning contemporary blues tunes that haunt the most jaded listener , Robert has never received his due with blues purists . He doesn ’ t fit into the narrow “ down home blues ” box that many artists are forced into but that ’ s a good thing . It may be because his crooning is a little bit too smooth and his playing a tad too effortless that encourages so much oversight but 18 albums and five Grammys later the Robert Cray sound is still grounded in blues . His current CD , Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm ( Jay-Vee ) digs even deeper into the Memphis influences that has colored his music from the beginning .
Memphis has always been at the heart of Robert Cray ’ s music . From his great admiration of Memphis soul blues legend O . V Wright , to his collaboration with the renowned Memphis Horns on three of his albums , traces of Grind City are all over Robert Cray . So it makes sense that he headed to Memphis ’ s fabled Royal Studios ( home to the Hi Records sound of O . V . Wright , Al Green , Otis Clay , Syl Johnson and Ann Peebles ) to record Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm . The 11-track collection showcases his facility with obscure blues and soul covers as well as his songwriting skill on three standouts .
With producer / drummer Steve Jordan spearheading the project , the surviving members of the Hi Rhythm section – Rev . Charles Hodges ( piano , organ ,) Leroy “ Flick ” Hodges ( bass ) and Archie “ Hubbie ” Turner on keyboards were recruited along with Royal Studio ’ s background singers , horns and strings to turn out the ultimate contemporary blues / soul album . Kicking off sort of classic and contemporary blues juju . “ You Must Believe in Yourself ” with its funky horn blasts and soul shouts is a straight up O . V . Wright homage and Sir Mack Rice ’ s ‘ I Don ’ t Care ” gets flaming guitar riffs to set it apart .
But Robert has always been the sort of blues musician who believes in progressing the genre and not just reinterpreting classic tunes . The CD ’ s showstopper is actually his original blues stomp “ How Low Can You Go ,” a pointed and political tune that opens with a few bars of the national anthem and then drives into a funky blues beat with Robert singing : “ why you want to pull us down / separate / we come with all kinds of customs and colors and features / that ’ s what makes this country great / united / do you know what that means / why you want to go from town to town / gassing up with gasoline / one never knows / just how low someone can go .” If critics can ’ t recognize that as a piece of blues perfection , they need to go back and study the messages of electric blues pioneers .
The album also features another original standout , the heart wrenching blues ballad ” You had My Heart ,” which showcases Robert ’ s ability to transmit emotions with his voice and his guitar . There ’ s also a fun tribute to the 5 Royales with a full on doo wop jump blues number “ I ’ m With You Pt . 1 ” and then closing out with the smoldering guitar and vocal send off of ‘ I ’ m With You Pt . 2 .” Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm deserves a place in every blues fans collection .
With a history that extends back to slavery , there are many blues musicians that are lost to time and flimsy recordings . Hayes McMullan might have been included in that group but his talent and
Continued on page 24