6. Robert Cray: Shame + A Sin (1993): The Blues Is Alive And It's Got A Lot Of Soul

I like the blues, its' minor keys and the feeling of cleansing when listening to it or singing it. And I like soul, its' beat and passion. And when these two are combined and performed in a suitably modern yet timeless fashion, respecting the tradition but trusting your own vision, it makes for some of the best music I know.

And for the past thirty or so years, one of the beacons of this kind of music has been Robert Cray. He did not invent the genre, but time after time he has come up with some of the most compelling blue sounds of their time. He has evidently been able to gain a recognition and following that many of his peers were denied. And he has made a pile of great records, among which this one is my biggest favourite.

"Shame + A Sin" highlights all of his strengths. He is a great singer - partly because he knows his limits and stays within them, but mostly because his voice is both warm and expressive within its understated delivery. He is one of my favourite guitarists, both because of his appealing tone and becuase he also knows when not to play. And he and his bandmates write great songs, combining lyrics that often deal with traditional themes of the blues with a contemporary twist and tunes that don't let the boundaries of traditional blues constrain them - and these elements meet in arrangements that are both light and tight, suited for both sunlight and darkness.

There are many tunes I love on this record. The ominous "Leave Well Enough Alone" with its distinctive bassline, the classic slow "Passing By", the Waitsily rolling "Stay Go", the atmospheric "I Shiver", the driving "Some Pain, Some Shame" - in fact every song on this album has some quirk or detail of its own that makes it stand out in some sense. And even though the tempos are varied, and the arrangements feature tasteful keys and touches of horns added to the traditional trio, the album makes for a distinct entity as well.

And when the last sounds of the quietly dramatic closer "Up And Down" fade away, you can choose either to press the replay button for some more of that sweet sound - or to pick another of his great albums, from "Bad Influence" and "Strong Persuader" from the 80s, the follow-up to this album "Some Rainy Morning" from the 90s, the slightly modernized "Time Will Tell" from the oughties, or the rejuvenated "Nothin' But Love" from a few years back. Or any other one of his albums, if truth be told; blues that's very much alive and full of soul.

PS. This album isn't on Spotify - hence I can only offer a teaser, I Shiver, from his Definitive Collection. All the more reason, then, to secure a copy of the album :)