Robert Cray: Take Your Shoes Off : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

On Take Your Shoes Off, guitarist Robert Cray makes a beeline for Memphis circa 1965, leaving his major label, producer title (Aretha Franklin and Keith Richards guru Steve Jordan helms here) and most of his blues fireworks at the door. This is a slow-burning soul record -- and one of the most focused albums of Cray's twenty-five-year career. From the confident groove of "All the Way" (co-written with his wife) to the joyous chorus of "There's Nothing Wrong," it's clear that Cray is miles from his gunslinging past. His voice is rich and masterfully controlled, at times resonating with pathos; perfectly placed chords, chiming fills and ringing arpeggios -- not solos -- rule his guitar roost. These songs speak louder than Cray's guitar ever has. And that's saying a lot. (RS 813)

JOE ROSENTHAL