Customer Reviews

Take Your Shoes Off

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Robert Cray continues his journey into soul that he began in earnest with Sweet Potato Pie (a virtual tribute to the late great Otis Redding). Ending an unhappy relationship with his long time label, Mercury Records, Cray has taken his considerable talents to Rykodisc, a label well-known for their hands-off approach, and Cray has used that advantage to create a wonderful album that manages to evoke the sweet soul sound of the 60s Stax/Volt records. Over the years, Cray has honed his voice into a near perfect copy of the soul singers of the 60s, sounding like a cross between Redding and a young Al Green, and on "24-7 Man" his Redding imitation is perfection. Cray has never been so restrained in his guitar skills and so focused on his voice. Gone are the usual blistering blues riffs, and the music, which is heavy on backbeat and bass, uses the guitar to lightly accent the songs rather than to grab the listeners attention. For an attention grabber, he uses his voice. For these reasons, some longtime fans may be disappointed. They shouldn't be. This sweet soul journey is a real treat.

Being a working professional musician I am always looking for music that is true and inspiring. Regardless of if you are a blues fan or not, Robert Cray is one of the best performers out there in any genre. His recent work (Midnight Stroll and newer) leans more towards soul than traditional blues. The subject matter is your typical "she done me wrong" blues cannon but he sells it like it should be sold. It's completely genuine. He's an incomparable vocalist who sings like a bird. His guitar playing, while on the surface seeming simple, portrays exactly the proper "feeling" for the arrangement and song. His playing is a statement; emotionally mature and marked by brevity. It does what music is supposed to do, express feelings that words cannot. It doesn't suffer from the continuous, spaceless, blues-chops-heavy solos that most post-SRV blues players suffer from. This isn't music for chops-meisters. I've seen his live show and it's better live. Great guitar tone, super solid band, it's one of the best shows you'll see. If you're a fan of the groove and soul music check it out.

At first listen, I wasn't really into this CD. I was questioning where did the great guitar work get off to. But then I did what the title said and took my shoes off, kicked back and relaxed. Wow, amazing. The more I listened, the more it reached out to me. Much praise to 'Young Bob' for sharing this mellow, soulful work.

I was playing this in the office today and my coworker asked, "Is that Al Green?" And it hit me: this record, which I had been sniffing at for the last nine months for being "soft," was actually an amazing recreation of those great '60s soul records that many of us have grown up loving. But these are all new, mostly original, and all tight.

Frankly, I admire Robert Cray for having made this record. It must have taken guts to step away from the electric-blues style that he came up with, but is woodshedding with Albert Collins really all there is to being a successful bluesman in the late 1990s? "Take Your Shoes Off" is a record that you can listen to over and over again and keep appreciating.

If you love that '60s sound, and want something made today with the same vibe, "Take Your Shoes Off" is for you.

This is the middle of a trio of great CDs I have from Robert Cray (the others: Sweet Potato Pie and Shoulda Been Home). Cray's songs, voice, guitar, and the band are full of soul. The songs are about relationships--some happy, mostly sad--written from a man's perspective. They're honest songs, touching real emotions.

This CD is full of tight, sparse playing and arrangements. The tempo is generally laid back, hence, perhaps, the title. But it's not slow.

The standout songs are "(I'll be your) 24-7 Man" which swings
like mad; "(Grant him a) Pardon" about a guy who's never quite recovered from a lost love; and "Let Me Know (Love, was it that bad?)," with its awesome 'crying to the sky' guitar solo.

If you like the Memphis sound and the Stax records that came out in the 60s, Cray is the one artist I know carrying on that tradition. And he does it in a contemporary fashion without losing any of the feeling.

On this album, Cray has made a transition of sorts from a bluesman, to more soul sounding music. His guitar playing is still top notch, but there seems to be alittle more of a R&B sound to his music here. "Love Gone To Waste" is a heartfelt plea of a broken heart. "That Wasn't Me" is more of the same. "24-7 Man" is a good rockin' song to get you moving. There are more standouts here such as "Pardon", "All They Way","There's Nothing Wrong", and "Let Me Know". I think if you are a Robert Cray fan or a true fan of music, then you will enjoy this album. For those Robert Cray fans, I think you will enjoy the departure from his old sound to this totally fresh sound.

Many 'blues purists' (which to me is just a term for an elitist that wants to hear the same exact thing over and over again rather than give something else an objective listen) detract from Cray's work because of its general appeal in comparison to other Blues legends. I think this is silly. His music is great, and he plays a wonderful axe. This album is probably the most 'Soulful' of his albums, but it has some great traditional blues themes and motives.

I have long said that Robert Cray is amongst the best in terms of mixing soul and blues - right up there with the likes of Otis Redding and Curtis Mayfield. This album definitely exemplifies that notion. What a superb mix of fun-loving, get-you-rockin' songs like "There's Nothin' Wrong," "What About Me," and "Pardon," plus soul masterpieces such as "That Wasn't Me," "It's All Gone," and, my favorite cut on the album, "All the Way." The album also contains straight blues like "Love Gone To Waste," and "Tollin' Bells." Robert Cray and his band started something special with 1997's album "Sweet Potatoe Pie." They finished it with style and a touch of genius with "Take Your Shoes Off." - 5 stars.

I actually heard this CD and Robert Cray for the first time several months ago and I instantly fell in love. It is rare that you pop in a CD and LOVE EVERY SONG, but I did. I have since tried to get my hands on all of his other albums, but I truly believe that this is the absolute BEST! There is just nothing like it...blues, jazz, funk, soul...it is all there and that amazing voice. Thanks Mr. Robert Cray. I love you!!

Robert Cray is doing what he was suppose to do.going to Staxx and hitting on the Al Green train.this is soul music.this is what a groove is supposed to sound like.when i heard the guitar,bass,organ&horns i was like yes that is what soul music is supposed to sound like.