Cray Robert - Twenty (CD, Imported)

A new album from Robert Cray is unlikely to contain any radical departures from his laid-back, blues-influenced R&B, sweetly stinging leads, and mellow, soulful singing. Yet Cray's records are almost always superbly executed and eminently listenable. Such is the case with 2005's TWENTY. The artist's second release for indie label Sanctuary features Cray doing what he does best with the help of a crack backing band. Rolling, punchy jams like "Does It Really Matter" and the loping, lock-step vibe of "I'm Walkin'" prove this unit's easy, appealing chemistry. Cray's blues is often criticized for being commercially oriented. The truth is that Cray's music is much closer to '60s-era soul and R&B than it is to traditional blues. Rather than restricting himself to a 1-4-5 blues formula, he crafts memorable pop tunes that sound like they might have come from the Stax/Volt offices circa 1968. The anti-war song "Poor Johnny" is a case in point, as is the driving "That Ain't Love" and the smoothly swinging "My Last Regret." In addition to his sterling talents as a guitarist and singer, then, and the sharp work of his band, it is Cray's tunesmithery that impresses on TWENTY. This album comes highly recommended to Cray enthusiasts, and to lovers of cool, '60s-flavored R&B.