Strong Persuader Robert Cray

• 1Smoking Gun04:08
• 2I Guess I Showed Her03:40
• 3Right Next Door (Because Of Me)04:20
• 4Nothin' But A Woman03:59
• 5Still Around03:43
• 6More Than I Can Stand02:59
• 7Foul Play04:07
• 8I Wonder03:56
• 9Fantasized04:04
• 10New Blood04:23
• Total Runtime39:19

Info for Strong Persuader

„Strong Persuader“ was a milestone both for Robert Cray and blues in the '80s. It earned Cray, a veteran of the Pacific Northwest blues scene, both his first solo Grammy and Top 30 hit ('Smoking Gun') along with a lift out of the blues ghetto which he'd been excelling in during recent years. As for the blues themselves, Cray infused fresh blood into a genre that had been limping along in that particular decade. With a smooth singing style to go with an equally recognizable guitar tone, Cray developed a sound that owed as much to soul stylist O.V. Wright as it did to Texas guitarist Albert Collins (with whom Cray had won a Grammy along with Johnny Copeland the prior year). The use of the Memphis Horns strengthened the soul connection on songs such as the punchy 'Nothing But A Woman' and the chugging effervescence of 'Guess I Showed Her.' Of course, Cray's heart lay in the blues and when he wasn't lamenting the woes of infidelity in 'Right Next Door (Because Of Me)' and a bad break-up in 'Still Around,' his guitar playing smoldered throughout the forlorn 'New Blood.'

Strong Persuader won a 1988 Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Recording.

Robert Cray, guitar, vocals
Peter Boe, keyboards
Richard Cousins, bass
David Olson, drums
Lee Spath, percussion
Andrew Love, tenor saxophone
Wayne Jackson, trumpet, trombone

Recorded at Sage & Sound, Los Angeles; Haywood's, Los Angeles
Produced by Bruce Bromberg, Dennis Walker

Digitally remastered

Robert Cray
5x Grammy winner (15x nominee) releases In My Soul -a rich emotion of classic soul storytelling that never strays from his incomparable guitar mastery. A behind the scenes EPK takes fans inside the music (embed link)

Produced by Steve Jordan (Keith Richards, John Mayer) the 10 song album blends funky originals with surprising covers. A bonus track “Pillow” is included on the limited edition CD. (insert link to purchase)

First single "You Move Me," is classic Cray with his signature slicing guitar leads woven throughout. The bulk of In My Soul is made up of original material with a few covers including Otis Redding's "Nobody's Fault But Mine" and "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)” and "Deep in My Soul" by the late Bobby "Blue" Bland. "I didn't want to change it—just do it pretty straight up as a tribute to Bobby, who was one of my real heroes," says Cray.

"When I think of Robert Cray, I think of a great singer," says Jordan. "Most people gravitate to his guitar playing because he's such a gunslinger, but I don't. He's got so much soul it's ridiculous."

Wall Street Journal says In My Soul is “a tasteful, laid-back album, and while there’s plenty of Cray’s distinctive guitar playing, there’s more to the new LP than fiery licks.” UK Daily Mirror calls the album “Impressive” and gives it 4 stars.

Widely recognized as one of the greatest guitarists of our time, The New Yorker calls him “one of the most reliable pleasures of soul and blues for over three decades now “ and Rolling Stone Magazine credits him with having “reinvented the blues with his distinct razor sharp guitar playing”

The youngest living member to be inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, Robert Cray has sold over 12 million records , has his own line of Fender guitars and has established himself as a genre defining artist- a signature blend of r&b, pop, rock, soul and traditional blues.

This album contains no booklet.