Robert Cray, That’s What I Heard Review

Robert Cray is a 5x Grammy winner (15x nominee) guitar player, singer, and songwriter that is known for his rich emotion of classic soul storytelling. Cray is incomparable in his guitar mastery, which helped allow him to be one of the youngest living members to be inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.  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. Cray is releasing That’s What I Heard, which is produced by Steve Jordan (Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban, Keith Richards, Boz Scaggs, John Mayer).  The twelve-song album is a varied sonic blend of blues, soul, boogaloo and gospel. Guest artists include Ray Parker Jr and Steve Perry. The band is Robert Cray, guitar, vocals; Richard Cousin, bass; Dover Weinberg, keyboards; Terence F. Clark, drums; and Steve Jordan, drums, percussion.

 Positives:  Cray is a ridiculous guitar player, but his singing is just as soulful and emotive.

Bottom Line: That’s What I Heard builds on Cray’s lyrical and narrative songwriting, passionate vocal style and fiery blues guitar playing. The songs are all well recorded, mixed and mastered with producer Jordan playing drums or percussion on most of the tracks. “You’re the One” has a smooth six eight R&B feel with a strong Sam Cooke vibe, full organ pads and Cray’s solid vocals.  “This Man” presents a funk groove that allows Cray’s guitar playing to shine.  “Hot” is an up-tempo number that shows the power of the band and is filled with the blues.  Cray wrote five of the album’s songs, and they blend seamlessly with the vintage soul and R&B songs. That’s What I Heard strikes a perfect balance of singing while still letting Cray do his guitar thing. His guitar playing has both the chops and the taste to make that work for him. Cray is still going strong after 40 years of record-making, he is still making music that is energetic, passionate and filled with love and a deep respect for the blues and Southern soul. That’s the short of it!

Connect with Robert Cray: Website |