That's What I Heard Robert Cray

• 1 Anything You Want 03:52
• 2 Burying Ground 02:58
• 3 You're the One 02:49
• 4 This Man 05:06
• 5 You'll Want Me Back 03:58
• 6 Hot 03:44
• 7 Promises You Can't Keep 05:55
• 8 To Be with You 02:54
• 9 My Baby Likes to Boogaloo 03:50
• 10 You Can't Make Me Change 05:04
• 11 A Little Less Lonely 04:19
• 12 Do It 03:25
• Total Runtime 47:54

Info for That's What I Heard

Robert Cray has been bridging the lines between blues, soul and R&B for the past four decades, with five Grammy wins and over 20 acclaimed albums. His latest album, That's What I Heard, was recorded at the iconic Capitol Records studios and produced by Steve Jordan (Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban, Keith Richards, Boz Scaggs). The music is a varied sonic blend of blues, soul, boogaloo and gospel. Guest artists include Ray Parker Jr and Steve Perry.

"Robert Cray was hailed as the man who saved the blues from commercial extinction when his album Strong Persuader became a breakout hit in 1986, and blues fans are still the bedrock of his following. But anyone who has been paying attention can tell you that vintage soul and R&B have always had more to do with his best music than standard-issue 12-bar blues. Cray's albums with drummer/producer Steve Jordan -- 1999's Take Your Shoes Off, 2014's In My Soul, and 2017's Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm -- have put his Southern soul influences up front, and that doesn't change in his fourth project with Jordan, 2020's That's What I Heard. Something else that doesn't change is how comfortable Cray sounds with this material, and how well his unfussy but passionate vocal style, narrative lyrical stance, and exciting but never overdone guitar features blend with the soul grooves generated by Cray's band and the guests brought in for the occasion. (Jordan himself plays drums or percussion on most of the tracks.) "You're the One" is a smooth R&B number with a strong Sam Cooke vibe, "This Man" is powered by a groove that's lean but full of funk, "Hot" is an uptempo workout that pulls out the stops, "Promises You Can't Keep" is a slow and sorrowful testimony to a romance on the rocks, and "Burying Ground" is an effective detour into gospel. Cray wrote five of this album's songs, and it's telling that they blend so seamlessly with the vintage soul and R&B tunes that share space in the set, and though he stretches out more on guitar than the average soul man, he has both the chops and the taste to make that work for him. Cray generally isn't one to deal in politics, but the metaphor of "This Man" is clear and well-chosen. At a time when deep Southern soul isn't doing a whole lot better than the blues in the marketplace, Robert Cray is an effective cheerleader for both forms, and That's What I Heard shows that after 40 years of record-making, he's in no way tired or short on ideas and inspiration." (Mark Deming, AMG)

Robert Cray, guitar, vocals
Richard Cousin, bass
Dover Weinberg, keyboards
Terence F. Clark, drums
Steve Jordan, drums, percussion

Produced by Steve Jordan

Robert Cray
5x Grammy winner (15x nominee) releases In My Soul -a rich emotion of classic soul storytelling that never strays from his incomparable guitar mastery. A behind the scenes EPK takes fans inside the music (embed link)

Produced by Steve Jordan (Keith Richards, John Mayer) the 10 song album blends funky originals with surprising covers. A bonus track “Pillow” is included on the limited edition CD. (insert link to purchase)

First single "You Move Me," is classic Cray with his signature slicing guitar leads woven throughout. The bulk of In My Soul is made up of original material with a few covers including Otis Redding's "Nobody's Fault But Mine" and "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)” and "Deep in My Soul" by the late Bobby "Blue" Bland. "I didn't want to change it—just do it pretty straight up as a tribute to Bobby, who was one of my real heroes," says Cray.

"When I think of Robert Cray, I think of a great singer," says Jordan. "Most people gravitate to his guitar playing because he's such a gunslinger, but I don't. He's got so much soul it's ridiculous."

Wall Street Journal says In My Soul is “a tasteful, laid-back album, and while there’s plenty of Cray’s distinctive guitar playing, there’s more to the new LP than fiery licks.” UK Daily Mirror calls the album “Impressive” and gives it 4 stars.

Widely recognized as one of the greatest guitarists of our time, The New Yorker calls him “one of the most reliable pleasures of soul and blues for over three decades now “ and Rolling Stone Magazine credits him with having “reinvented the blues with his distinct razor sharp guitar playing”

The youngest living member to be inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, Robert Cray has sold over 12 million records , has his own line of Fender guitars and has established himself as a genre defining artist- a signature blend of r&b, pop, rock, soul and traditional blues.

This album contains no booklet.