Customer Reviews

Time Will Tell

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've been a Cray listener for about 17 years now. "Time Will Tell" is a nice addition to my Robert Cray collection.

"Time Will Tell" isn't pure blues. who cares? There's plenty of blues on it. There's also some damn good soul on it as well as rock influences.

One of my favorite aspects of Cray's music is the lyrics. The songs are often witty and funny, albiet in a sad way.

In my opinion Cray doesn't just sing about relationship problems - he puts you right in the middle of it. You're there in the bedroom when the fight breaks out.

This album stretches the boundaries. I really think he's putting out some of the best soul music out there right now. Classic soul. The kind they don't make anymore.

The song "I didn't know" is one of my favorites. Our man finds out that indeed he really was in love with the girl but alas - she's walking out the door.

"My Pal" is another humorous one. Who hasn't had a crush on a girl but you seem to be locked into the friendship role.

This album came out at an opportune time - right as I was wrapping up my divorce. Mr. Cray has put together another soundtrack for the troubled world we live in.

Robert Cray and band have recorded some fine CD's over the years, but, with the release of Time Will Tell, they have produced a masterpiece. Doing the production this time by themselves (Jim Pugh and Robert Cray), recording digitally for the first time, and writing all the material themselves (no cover songs or blues classics)RCB have joined the ranks of musical titans.
TWT is the best written, produced, arranged, recorded and performed CD, the band has ever done. Period.
Best Tracks...Survivor, Lotta Lovin', Distant Shore, Your Pal, Back Door Slam.
Robert vocals seem stronger than ever on this disc, which is really saying something, but, what impresses me is his playing. He has never sounded better, whether it's playing a sitar on Up in the Sky, or a blistering solo on Time Makes Two. When I listen to a Robert Cray disc, I like to listen to what he's playing when he's not soloing. I think he is one of the best chord players in the business. Listen to him on Spare Some Love and I Didn't Know, he's a superb rhythm player. When you listen to TWT you will be listening to a true, solid band, not just a guitar god whose being back up by a band. They are a BAND, and Robert is a man content with his ability, his mastery of his instrument.
If you are a long time RCB fan or someone just joining up, you'll love this disc. Honestly there is not a bad track on it (and you can't say that for most CD's released today). Every one is strong and enjoyable.
Check it out for yourself, you'll see. Also catch them when they come to your town. As good as their CD's are, RCB must be heard live to be appreciated.
Enjoy.

Robert Cray finds his voice. What a thing to say about a five time Grammy Award winner, that has also had 11 Grammy nominations and untold other awards. But this Blues man really has something to say with his new album. I loved it! In "Time Will Tell." Robert takes a stand about the war and speaks to our hearts in new ways both lyrically and musically, as only his original voice can.

Something new is going on here, with a depth that has the rootsmusicians from history standing up and tipping their hats from heaven, and it is not to be missed. Produced by Robert and his keyboardist Jim Pugh, who also wrote 3 songs on it the album also features guest artists Jerry Martini and Cynthia Robinson (Sly & the Family Stone Horns), Turtle Island String Quartet, Luis Conte, as well
as band members Kevin Hayes and Karl Sevareid.
Support this amazing artist and hear and feel the presence of musical history, and be transported into the future of Blues.

Robert Cray is a leading light of his genre; way back when I first heard "Strong Persuader" and "Who's Been Talking" I was struck by just how good this guy was in making what had become stale sound fresh and new again. Even the top proponent of the electric blues at the time and probably ever, Eric Clapton, thought so as he publicly announced at the time that he was a fan.

Now we get on his new record label, Sanctuary, something different but still fresh-sounding, reviving what for him has started becoming stale. This is Robert Cray still showing great feel for the blues but with a little bit of soul influences which results in a refreshing twist to what we have become accustomed to from Cray. This album is an attempt to get out of a rut and no one can blame any self-respecting musician for trying new things instead of selling-out and sticking with what is safe all the time.

I note one reviewer expressing disgust at Cray's views on the war and national policy; it's really amazing to me that in a country which prides itself on its liberties and the Bill of Rights that a citizen cannot freely express his views in his album but you guys treat a Canadian, Neil Young, like a hero for doing just that. I believe he has an album out now that is extremely critical of U.S. Foreign Policy.

Anyways, as to the album itself, I was impressed with the musicianship and composition of all the tracks and I couldn't find anything that remotely resembles filler material although granted this is not as good as "Strong Persuader" but this is still a good album. The packaging is also refreshingly different from the old jewel casing as this album comes in cardboard gatefold sleeve with an 8-page colour booklet of photos and cd credits included. The sound quality is also very good reflecting great mastering and sound production too.

Recommended.

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. I've seen reviews of this album that pan it strictly for the political subject matter of one of the songs. If you are that easily offended you may want to stick to reading as a hobby. Personally, I don't think that "Ya take a little school boy / and teach him who to hate / then you send him to the desert / for the oil near Kuwait" is too far off base. That's just my opinion. Listen for yourself.

"I'm so glad to be here today"
"The good old days were such a waste of time"
"surviver,you got to choose"
The song is much more than an Anti war song.
"Back Door Slam",is another bomb,in a good way.
"What you need,is a good man" is another vintage Cray band track.

This is real music for real people.
No one could ever sway me...

I did not enjoy Shoulda Been Home, but Time Will Tell has tempered my disappointment. It has thoughtful lyrics and excellent arrangements, and is well-produced. Robert Cray has really extended himself here - with his songwriting and his choice of instruments. He is a master at using his guitar to support his very expressive voice - sometimes his playing is understated but at other times, he uses it to add emphasis and punctuation. It is very hard to classify this CD - is it R&B? is it Rock? I don't know and I don't care - it is awesome!

Here in the days of such wantonly disposable offerings from the music industry it is indeed comforting to know that every couple of years the Robert Cray Band will buckle down and put together something that will at the very least be laudable for the effort, intelligence, integrity, musicianship and passion that went into it's creation.
Time Will Tell is no disappointment. This is one of the Cray Band's finest offerings to date. From the menacing shimmer of "Back Door Slam" to the beautiful Hendrix chording in "Lotta
Lovin'" this CD just shines. Thank you, Robert.

Even Robert Cray's biggest fans would admit his recording career has had its ups and downs. However, "Time Will Tell" is a bold and brave disc, straining against blues conventions while maintaining the artist's stature as one of the finest artists in this genre working today. To these ears, it's his best since the vastly underrated "Midnight Stroll."

And it's so amazingly brave! The opening cut, "Survivor," is so ferociously anti-war, and that's a bold move to make in these times of the media damning anyone who isn't waving a flag during concerts. In addition, the second track, the sitar-tinged "Up in the Sky", is getting lots of press over its overall sounds, but the lyrics are the first in the blues world to bring a tear to my eye in many a moon. This story of an aging old couple is just so contemporary, yet so steeped in traditional blues form. Wow...just an amazing song.

There are several others on this disc that are nearly as good. "Time Will Tell" proves Robert Cray is an artist, not just another blues guitar slinger. The blues album of the year thus far.

Robert Cray finds his voice. What a thing to say about a five time Grammy Award winner, that has also had 11 Grammy nominations and untold other awards. But this Blues man really has something to say with his new album. I loved it! In "Time Will Tell." Robert takes a stand about the war and speaks to our hearts in new ways both lyrically and musically, as only his original voice can.

Something new is going on here, with a depth that has the rootsmusicians from history standing up and tipping their hats from heaven, and it is not to be missed. Produced by Robert and his keyboardist Jim Pugh, who also wrote 3 songs on it the album also features guest artists Jerry Martini and Cynthia Robinson (Sly & the Family Stone Horns), Turtle Island String Quartet, Luis Conte, as well
as band members Kevin Hayes and Karl Sevareid.
Support this amazing artist and hear and feel the presence of musical history, and be transported into the future of Blues.