Robert Cray, legendary blues guitarist to release new LP “In My Soul”

Legendary guitar musician and singer-songwriter Robert Cray releases “In My Soul” in the UK on March 31, 2014 on the Provogue
label. This will be the seventeenth studio album for the 5x Grammy
winner, 15x Grammy nominee and multi-platinum selling artist.

The release of the album will be followed by an extensive UK and
European tour that kicks off at the Anvil in Basingstoke, UK on May 2nd.

Produced by American multi-instrumentalist, composer, musical director, Grammy Award-winning artist and longtime Cray friend Steve Jordan (John Mayer, Keith Richards), “In My Soul”
captures Cray at his finest with an outstanding 10 song collection of
Stax and Chess influenced soul and blues that showcases his trademark
guitar playing and his extraordinary vocals. A bonus track “Pillow” is also be included on the limited edition CD.

From the driving original classic Cray “You Move Me”
with its scorching guitar leads, to the melodic 60’s sway of “Fine
Yesterday” featuring Cray’s trademark soul drenched vocals, “In My Soul” draws listeners in very quickly.

Recorded at Santa Barbara Sound and engineered by Niko Bolas, “In My Soul” features the Otis Redding cover “Nobody’s Fault But My Own” that finds Cray trading vocals with drummer Les Falconer and features a punchy horn ensemble and catchy guitar verse.

Photo Credit: © Jeff Katz

The moving Cray penned “What Would You Say” pierced
with his unique guitars licks, has Cray dreaming about a better world
and in traditional Cray fashion asking listeners, “What would you say
if we quit waging war, children felt safe to sleep. One of these days
we may all learn to talk over a table with something to eat. What would
you say? Can we do that? What would you say?”

Longtime band mate Richard Cousins co-wrote the Booker T homage, an instrumental entitled “Hip Tight Onions” as well as the poignant 70’s tinged “Hold On” that talks about relationship perseverance during difficult times. Cries of lost love are told in both “Pillow”, the haunting bonus track co-written by Cray and Jerry Friedman as well as “I Guess I’ll Never Know”  – a funky hard driven tune co-written by Falconer.

Photo Credit: © Jeff Katz

The album also features a version of “Deep In My Soul”
a staple in the set list of the great soul and blues singer Bobby Blue
Bland as well as a version of the Isaac Hayes / David Porter cover “Your Good Thing (Is About to End)” first recorded by Motown’s Mable John in 1966 and then became a hit single for Lou Rawls in 1969.

New Yorker Magazine (Sept 2013) calls Cray “One of the most reliable
pleasures of soul and blues for over three decades now… “and Rolling
Stone Magazine (4/2012) credited Cray’s “Strong Persuader”
album to having reinvented the blues with his “distinct razor sharp
guitar playing” that “introduced a new generation of mainstream rock
fans to the language and form of the blues.”

Photo Credit: © Jeff Katz

Robert Cray has written or performed with everyone from Eric Clapton
to Stevie Ray Vaughan, from Bonnie Raitt to John Lee Hooker.  Inducted
into the Blues Hall of Fame at the age of 57, he is one of the youngest
living legends to receive the prestigious honour. With over 12 million
records sold and his own line of Fender guitars, Cray has established
himself as a genre defining artist- breaking through the pop ceiling
with his gate crashing/blues-edged trademark sound and distinct style
that has become a signature blend of R&B, pop, rock, soul and
traditional blues. 

The New York Times says, “His voice, alternately smooth and craggy,
is often richer and more emotive than Mr. Clapton’s, and he knows the
best ways to use it,” while Guitar Player Magazine noted, “Robert Cray
is not only making great music, he’s making history.”

Photo Credit: © Jeff Katz

Mascot Label Group – Official Website
www.mascotlabelgroup.com