Robert Cray Releases First Live Album In 30-Year Career

By Will Jordan

For thirty-plus years Robert Cray has laid down track after track of soft, soulful croonings and good-time, uptown, low-down blues. He’s won five Grammys and been nominated for 11 more, inspired critics to praise his vocal and instrumental artistry, earned respect from his peers, and sent young guitarists running back to the woodshed.
The only thing he hasn't done is work his magic onto a full-length concert CD, where the fires that drive him onstage burn on disc as well.
That is, until now.
On The Robert Cray Band: Live From Across The Pond, the first release on Cray's own Nozzle Records imprint, the celebrated triple-threat singer, guitar slinger, and songwriter presents the best moments from his week-long run at London's Royal Albert Hall in May 2006, opening for friend and mutual admirer Eric Clapton.
From classic titles ("Phone Booth") to highlights from his latest releases ("Poor Johnny"), whether addressing timeless themes of heartache and romance ("The Things You Do To Me") or this morning's headlines ("Twenty"), Cray delivers on a promise he's been making since his first trip into the studio.
“We had a lot of fun on that tour and wanted to share it with the world,” he says. “When the opportunity came up to record the shows, we took it. To be in one spot [London's Royal Albert Hall] rolling the machines, was a great time to capture the sound. Every night we did something different and we all gave it our best shot.
“In the past, whenever we've known that we were going to record ourselves onstage, we’ve just gotten too psyched up to sound as strong as we normally do,” he adds. “You go into it feeling like you've got this one shot, and that can be challenging. I've actually lost my voice from the anticipation.”
When the London dates were done, Cray returned to the States and began going over the results. What he heard was, he admits, an eye-opener in some ways, according to the singer.
“When I’m playing up there, I don’t really catch everything that’s going on. But when I sat back and listened to the tapes, it was like, ‘Wow, these guys are great,’” he says. “What I mean is, so much stuff goes on that I can’t really catch it all. I'm singing and feeling their support, but when I take myself out of the playing picture and just listen, that's when I really hear how magical the ensemble can be,” he says.
The result of the performance is a double CD release, each packed with intense, emotional playing, all of it a pristine reproduction of what transpired under the spotlights, without a single edit or punch-in.
Cray is an old pal of Clapton’s and the two have written songs together.
“We had a good time on this tour,” Cray says. “It’s always good to see Eric and Doyle and Jordan on drums. They’re friends and great fun to play with.”
Despite a countless accumulation of live gigging over the years, Cray maintains that he’s still not road-weary.
“It never gets old,” he says. “That’s the thing that’s cool about it. The fact that we’re still able to do it after all these years…that we’re a band that’s got a gig, is nice. If we’re working, then we’re happy.”
Of course, when he’s home, he enjoys the downtime as well.
“It’s nice to go home, when we’re done. I like to cook and relax and spend time with my wife,” he says. “It usually takes a little time to get re-acclimated.”
Cray does most of his writing during his off time at home. He says the process can be a distraction to his live performances, so he separates the two.
“I like to give it the effort that it deserves,” he says. It’s hard to concentrate on the road. I like to be off and go to the paper when it comes. It usually comes when I’m home and don’t have pressing issues…when my mind is open to ideas.
His songs have always been wrought with emotion and politically infused, something Cray says comes from observing the state of the world.
“When I read the newspaper and watch TV and see what’s going on, the whole thing gives me the blues,” he adds. “The lack of communication is our downfall. We all need to be honest and upfront with each other and we’ll be headed to better times.”
Aside from their musicianship, the key to Cray and his band is their history. Through more than a thousand gigs played around the world, they've locked in a sound that's elegant and direct, searing and smooth.
And before that, Cray himself developed quickly, having been raised on the gospel and soul records in his parents' collection while growing up in Georgia and Washington State. By the time he formed his first band in 1974, the components of his sound were in place: a vocal delivery rooted in the Stax/soul tradition and a Stratocaster guitar style that even then stood him out among the greatest of his peers in the blues.
Perhaps another reason for the passion of Live owes to the importance of England in helping Cray launch his career. His second album, Bad Influence (1984), shot to number one on the U.K. indie charts while Clapton paid tribute to his colleague by covering the title song. From that point he rose quickly to worldwide prominence, earning his first Grammy for Strong Persuader (1986), releasing one double-platinum and two gold albums, and appearing or recording with the Rolling Stones, B. B. King, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Chuck Berry, Bonnie Raitt, and other giants.
For more information on Robert Cray visit www.robertcray.com

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