To say Robert Cray's latest album offers little that is different from Strong Persuader, his 1986 breakthrough LP, should be taken as a compliment. After all, the bluesy territory Cray mapped out on that album, honed over his three previous LPs, offered as much depth as it did focus. Consequently, no matter how loyal Cray may be to traditional blues and soul forms, his emotional range and musical savvy ensure his work remains anything but redundant.

In fact, the new LP features some of the most complex performances of his career. Of the ten tracks (written, as usual, largely by the Cray band and the producers), only "Across the Line" relies on overfamiliar blues traditions. And even here, Cray's fierce and shimmering guitar lines give the number a unique flair. The rest combine their bluesy base with soulful melodies and unforgiving rock riffs, further enhanced by the clean and simple production of Bruce Bromberg and Dennis Walker (contributing a somewhat deeper sound this time out). Even the Memphis Horns, which again augment many tracks here, never clog up the sound.

That crisp approach helps put Cray's guitar lines in special relief. It also highlights the clarity and smoothness of his voice. Cray's singing is as agile and emotive as his playing. In "At Last" his voice communicates not only solemn relief that a love turned sour is finally over but a surprising giddiness as well. And in "Laugh Out Loud" he sings about finding love late in life with as much exhaustion and suspicion as joy. Communicating such complicated responses is the mark of a great musician, of course, but for Cray it represents something more: it provides the clearest possible explanation for why his familiar musical turf will always seem new. (RS 538)

JIM FARBER