Friday, December 5, 2008

Twenty - Robert Cray





The 2005 release from Cray was special primarily for two reasons. There are 3 flawless gems that, frankly, make the album a keeper.


The first is the opening track "Poor Johnny", a Cray original that is one of the most memorable blues songs that I have heard in years. I first heard it - part of it - watching a chunk of a Clapton special in 2005 that cray was guesting on. He played one song and it soared. Not knowing the name of the actual song, it took some time to track it down, but track it down I did. The studio version on Twenty and a live version from Across the Pond are both fantastic. Tales of a rare degree sung perfectly by a man with an exceptional voice - is that too over the top, maybe, but its one of my favorite numbers from the last few years.



The second song are the title track, which is "pictured" on the front cover of the album. Not a happy song, by any means, but a worthy timepiece at a time when few solid artists took the time to write about the world they are living in today.



The final standout is a cover of Booker T's "I Forgot To Be Your Lover". Hard to argue with the treatment on this. Crays voice and guitar dexterity and tone are among the best in the blues world right now.



A solid album beyond these three songs and good edition to the Cray catelogue.