Strong Persuader received rave reviews from contemporary critics. In a review for Rolling Stone, Jon Pareles said Cray delivered intriguing stories nearly sexual practice in addition to infidelity amongst disciplined singing, songwriting, in addition to "a version of blues in addition to someone that doesn't come upward from whatever i region, edifice an idiom for songs that tell amongst conversational directness the stories of ordinary folks". Robert Christgau from The Village Voice praised Cray's sophisticated blues aesthetic in addition to the songwriting of his supporting studio team, hailing Strong Persuader every bit "the best blues tape inwards many, many years, in addition to hence fervently crafted that it may fifty-fifty larn what it deserves in addition to larn the kickoff album to interruption out of the genre's sales ghetto since B.B. King was a hot item."
The educate that made Cray a pop star, despite its enduring blues base. Cray's smoldering opinion on "Smoking Gun" in addition to "Right Next Door" rendered him the kickoff sexual practice symbol to emerge from the blues plain inwards decades, but it was his innovative expansion of the genre itself that makes this album a genuine 1980s classic. "Nothing but a Woman" boasts an irresistible groove pushed yesteryear the Memphis Horns in addition to some metaphorically inspired lyrics, piece "I Wonder" in addition to "Guess I Showed Her" sizzle amongst sensuality.
The 1980’s music scene is best remembered yesteryear most people every bit a fourth dimension when synthesized sounds ruled the radio waves in addition to the glitzy MTV videos of pilus bands in addition to rap in addition to hip hop artists were all the rage. In this unlikely era of applied scientific discipline driven pop, Robert Cray helped rein inwards the appreciation of a novel generation for the blues. Some have got criticized his blend of blues, someone in addition to stone every bit a homogenization of the blues but his contemporary vogue was easily accessible in addition to entertaining to a broad audience. His Gammy winning 1986 unloose Strong Persuader is credited amongst helping the Blues honour novel life every bit it spawned a top-five hitting amongst “Smoking Gun”, amongst a video also shared frequent MTV enshroud fourth dimension amongst the likes of A-ha in addition to The Pet Shop Boys.
Perhaps Robert Cray’s construct of electrical blues mightiness move the final result of his various background. Though he was born inwards Columbus, GA, he was an “army brat” in addition to was raised all over the country. He started playing guitar inwards his early on teens piece living inwards Newport News, VA in addition to cites blues legend Albert Collins every bit a major influence. Later, he would collaborate amongst Collins on his album Showdown!, which won a Grammy itself inwards 1987. Cray also lists guitar greats George Harrison, Eric Clapton in addition to B.B. King every bit some of his early on influences.
His tertiary major label release, Strong Persuader remains i of his best albums to date. The songs all revolve around a mutual blues subject of dear gone wrong. While he may non possess a technically perfect voice, Cray is a superb vocalist, delivering exactly the correct emotion whether it move specific levels of sincerity, sarcasm, or cynicism. The audio of the album is simple, crisp, in addition to construct clean in addition to never muddled. It is modern electrical blues featuring Memphis horns, steady bass in addition to drums, in addition to Cray’s signature, attack-heavy guitar vogue amongst no wasted notes.
For how sanitized the may album sound, at its heart Strong Persuader is actually quite racy. This dichotomy is best portrayed on the vocal “Fantasized”, which contains some rather risque lyrics higher upward an nonthreatening basic, soft-rock music track. If fact, “Strong Persuader” became a nickname for Cray himself due his skills at convincing immature women every bit portrayed inwards the pop vocal “Right Next Door (Because of Me)” where he brags nearly his conquest existence “just some other notch on my guitar”.
The album’s opener, “Smoking Gun”, is possibly Cray’s most pop vocal ever, accented yesteryear Peter Boe’s signature pianoforte riff in addition to a fine, “slow hand” guitar solo. The next vocal “I Guess I Showed Her” takes some other musical direction, amongst a prissy blend of cool jazz in addition to funk, highlighted yesteryear the brass of Wayne Jackson amongst some ironic/comedic lyrics. Later inwards the album, Cray settles inwards to to a greater extent than traditional, guitar-driven blues in addition to nearly-crooning vocals on songs similar “I Wonder” in addition to “New Blood”.
Throughout the residuum of album, the songs vary amongst different combinations of these iii styles, all held together yesteryear the consistent production of Bruce Bromberg & Dennis Walker. some of the highlights include the catchy in addition to melodic “More Than I Can Stand” in addition to the first-class “I Wonder”, amongst its totally unique solo technique which at i holler for seems to work alternate tuning in addition to at some other almost sounds similar a banjo, in addition to the cool lyric – “…Is this a dream or has Bob gone crazy?”
Inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame only final calendar month (May 2011), Robert Cray gave us an interesting in addition to entertaining album a quarter of a century ago, which remains i of his most popular. Since Strong Persuader, Cray has released xi studio albums but none have got been every bit pop every bit this 1986 tour-de-force.
"I mean value that my band was purpose of a blues-roots motion that included people similar the Fabulous Thunderbirds in addition to Stevie Ray Vaughan, who were coming along at that item time," says bandleader Robert Cray. While Cray's feel of what was happening on the American stone scene inwards belatedly 1986 is accurate, it modestly downplays the accomplishments of the singer-guitarist in addition to his backing trio.
In Feb of that year, Strong Persuader — Cray's quaternary album — hitting Number Thirteen on the Billboard pop-albums chart, making it the highest-charting blues album since Bobby "Blue" Bland's Call on Me/That's the Way Love Is, which reached Number Eleven some twenty-three years earlier. Strong Persuader, inwards effect, introduced a novel generation of mainstream stone fans to the linguistic communication in addition to cast of the blues.
An Earth forces brat who grew upward on bases inwards West Federal Republic of Federal Republic of Germany in addition to the Pacific Northwest, Cray was introduced to pop dark music at home, but he discovered blues artists on his ain every bit a teenager. "I silent have got a lot of the same influences today," Cray says. "People similar Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, O.V. Wright in addition to Sam Cooke."
In his lyric themes, Cray ofttimes veers away from the hard-luck route trod yesteryear most bluesmen. But his trebly, razor-sharp guitar playing is straightaway out of the electrical blues tradition, in addition to it provides Strong Persuader amongst a distinctive edge.
Signed to the little High Tone label when run on Strong Persuader began, Cray was hoping to claw upward amongst a larger company. "The production on the kickoff records was likewise low-budget," he says, "and nosotros were looking for a major label because nosotros desire to construct a ameliorate tape every time."
Cray in addition to his band eventually cutting a bargain amongst PolyGram, but they continued to run amongst producers Bruce Bromberg in addition to Dennis Walker, who had produced their High Tone albums. As a result, Strong Persuader was released amongst a combined High Tone/Mercury imprint. In improver to coproducing the album, Walker contributed "Right Next Door (Because of Me)," a tale of infidelity played out inwards a motel room. The song, which became the album's centerpiece, also includes the lyrics from which Strong Persuader derived its title.
The vocal that actually drove Strong Persuader upward the charts, however, was "Smoking Gun," a smoldering tale of jealousy in addition to murder. Although released ii months after the album hitting the streets — belatedly for a kickoff unmarried — it became a Top Forty hit, in addition to the video became a staple on MTV.
Strong Persuader ultimately went gold, a feat virtually unheard-of for a blues album. Yet Cray maintains that the album was less a divergence from his blues path than a natural evolution. "The recording sessions have got been pretty much the same for each of our albums," he says. "I only idea the character of the music nosotros were making was getting better. It was nearly the whole band existence together."
Track listing:
01 "Smoking Gun" (David Amy, Richard Cousins, Robert Cray) – 4:07
02 "I Guess I Showed Her" (Dennis Walker) – 3:39
03 "Right Next Door (Because of Me)" (Dennis Walker) – 4:19
04 "Nothin' But a Woman" (David Amy, Cousins, Cray, Peter Boe, David Olson) – 3:58
05 "Still Around" (Peter Boe) – 3:42
06 "More Than I Can Stand" (Cray) – 2:57
07 "Foul Play" (Dennis Walker) – 4:07
08 "I Wonder" (Cray) – 3:57
09 "Fantasized" (Dennis Walker) – 4:04
10 "New Blood" (David Amy, Peter Boe, Cray, Ozall Washington) – 4:21
Personnel:
Robert Cray – primary performer, guitar, vocals
Peter Boe – keyboards
Richard Cousins – bass
David Olson – drums
Lee Spath – percussion
Andrew Love – tenor saxophone
Wayne Jackson – trumpet, trombone
EmoticonEmoticon