Robert Cray - Shoulda Been Home (2001)

"Most of the tunes on Shoulda Been Home are the perfect compliment for sharing a big can of Schlitz Malt Liquor with the one you love in a dimly lit room." - Scott Cooper

I don't know if anything I write can top that description, but that won't stop me. Although Cray is classified as a blues guitarist, this music is really a blend of Chicago blues and Memphis soul music that is right up my alley. For the most part, the focus of this CD is Cray's songwriting and vocals. However, for his blues fans, he offers a few straight-up 12-bar blues with licks straight from the Albert King catalog. This isn't hard driving electric blues (which Cray does very well, too), this is mid-tempo stuff, but it's quality stuff. I don't drink malt liquor; for me, this is music is better suited for an evening on my porch.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: the stand-out tracks are Baby's Arms, Already Gone, the cover of Mack Rice's Love Sickness, Out Of Eden (with excellent organ work from Jim Pugh), and The 12-Year Old Boy. I usually don't skip any tracks, but No One Special is a little bland when compared to the others.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Like many of my CDs, this one was introduced to me by my friend Jim. I remember sitting on his back porch (dubbed Jaime's Cantina) and enjoying this music along with a cigar and beverage in the South Texas heat.