Albert Collins/Robert Cray/Johnny Copeland - Showdown! (1985)

Note: The CD I own is the original 9 track release. It has since been reissued several times in several formats which include a bonus track.

Don't be misled by the album title, this isn't a competition at all; it's a historic, house-rockin' modern electric–blues collaboration. Cray was up-and-coming at the time, but still fits right in with the other established two legends. Collins brings the Texas blues, Copeland brings the Chicago blues, and Cray somehow bridges the two plus adds some silky vocals. This album continues to be one of Alligator Records' best-known releases and helped usher in the late '80s blues revival. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album, the 1986 W.C. Handy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album, and was later inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall Of Fame. Top notch.

Original liner notes by album producers Bruce Iglauer & Dick Sherman.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "No clear winner in this showdown, but plenty of fine playing and singing"
• Musician: "if you still have doubts about Cray's credibility, here's where you'll lose them, once and for all."
• DownBeat (★★★): "reveals an underlying unity in their three quite individual styles"
• Robert Christgau (B): "Collins gets top billing not just because he's Alligator's man but because this is his album."
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★★

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #124

Tracks: 3 originals and 6 covers, all worth your time. I prefer the upbeat tunes like Lion's Den, Albert's Alley, or Black Cat Bone, but like I said, it's a collaboration, not a competition.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None. I was listening to a lot of music back in '85, but was just beginning my foray into blues with the purchase of SRV's Soul To Soul. Looking back, I find it rather odd that I was surrounded by musicians and academics constantly during those college years and not a single person was into the blues (other than my odd flirtations every now and again).

Robert Cray - Strong Persuader (1986)

This is more blues-based pop music that straight up blues, but who can argue with sales? And if you like listening to it, who cares what ya call it? I do like it and can appreciate that with this album, Cray tried to put the blues back in the rhythm & blues genre, but the critics loved it. Rolling Stone magazine featured him 3 or 4 times in late '86-early '87 and called him a "pioneer." Even cranky Robert Christgau gave the album one of his ultra-rare A plus grades. Despite that kind of love from the critics and a strong media push, this album didn't lead to long-term crossover success for Cray and that's too bad. This isn't hard-hitting blues by any means (although Cray is perfectly capable of that, too), but this thing is so easy to listen to that it's a perfect gateway album for those people who want to add a little blues to their life (musically, not emotionally). After 28 years, it still sounds clean and fantastic, especially when you crank it up on some decent speakers (apologies to my neighbors this morning - you had to get up for work anyways, right?).

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "sheer excellence"
• CashBox: "blues grit with pure lyrical melodicism sculpting a tempting commercial creation."
• Stereo Review: "There are ten selections on this album, and they all bear repeated listening."
• Rolling Stone: "he's reclaiming, for his generation, traditions that are too important to disappear."
• Robert Christgau (A+): "you have not just a great blues album but a great album."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #13
• Billboard Pop CD: #7
• Billboard R&B: #21
• CashBox CD: #6
• Rolling Stone: #9

Tracks: the album opens with Cray's only Top 40 hit, Smoking Gun, which certainly states his case for what this album is all about and it's followed with the wonderfully Stax-infused I Guess I Showed Her. A great way to start an album. Other favorites include Nothin' But A Woman, More That I Can Stand, and Fantasized. No skippers here.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Shoulda Been Home (2001)

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.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Blues: #2

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.