Midnight Stroll Benton AR

Midnight Stroll

Robert Cray

Mercury Records, 1990

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 06/06/1997

Back in the mid-'80s, Robert Cray was touted as one of thefastest-rising young voices of the blues world. His album Strong Persuader became his ticket to fame, and he has yetto equal the selling power he had at that time.

I don't know why Cray has been touted as a bluesman; his 1990effort Midnight Stroll shows the heart of a soul singer trapped inthe body of a blues guitarist. While this album may not have beenas publicly praised, it remains one of Cray's best works.

From the opening notes of "The Forecast (Calls For Pain)" youcan hear the Motown-like stirrings in Cray's soul. His voice ismuch more suited for that type of music than hard-core blues. Plus,Cray always seems like such a happy person. (Maybe that's why"Bleeding Gums" Murphy said in The Simpsons that the blues "wasn't about feeling bad," butabout "making other people feel worse.") Cray's guitar work singslike only a Fender Stratocaster can, and he is a talented musician,but it is the soul in his song that makes this music sospecial.

Of course, the addition of the Memphis Horns helps a bit, thoughat times they tend to distract rather than complement. On"Consequences," they tend to hide the beauty of the track, while on"My Problem" they bring out the pathos of Cray's vocals. In fact,rarely has Cray sounded more rooted in the blues than on thistrack.