2018 – Forty Below
Records
Release Date : Mar. 1, 2019
By Phillip Smith; Dec. 22, 2018
My first exposure to Caron “Sugaray” Rayford was
through listening to the Double Dynamite
record from the Mannish Boys. Rayford
sang lead on nine of the twenty-six tracks on that double album. Take a listen to any of his music, and it will
become so very evident why he was nominated for four Blues Music Awards in
2018. Written and produced by Forty
Below Records founder Eric Corne, Somebody Save Me, the latest from Sugaray Rayford is bathed
in the goodness of Sixties soul. Rayford’s
suave and powerful voice is accented quite nicely on this new recording with
interesting hooks and a tight-knit band. It’s much akin to the music of Charles
Bradley, which I simply adore. The backbone of the band on this album
consists of Rick Holmstrom on guitar, Matt Tecu on drums, Taras
Prodaniuk on bass, and Sasha Smith on keys/organ.
The album begins with “The Revelator”, a hypnotic
track with an Isaac Hayes delivery that magically beckons me like a
porch light to a moth. The bassline from
Prodaniuk was quick to embed itself deep within my subconscious. “Time to Get Moving” is a blues-soaked adrenalin
jolt. Its heightened pace is fortified
with a groovy guitar twang from Holmstrom and topped with a juicy harp performance
from Corne. One listen to “You
and I” and the music of Memphis’ Stax Records immediately comes to
mind. There’s certainly a call-back to
the Memphis Horns with the sweet sounds of brass from Mark Pender
on trumpet, Ron Dziubla on sax, and Richard A Rosenberg on
trombone. Swampy and dangerous, there’s
an obvious Howlin’ Wolf vibe radiating off “I’d Kill For You, Honey”. “Angels and Devils” keeps the atmosphere ominous,
and unpredictable. If ever there was a
need for a blues-centric James Bond theme, this song would be on the top
of the list. Sugaray takes it
nice and slow like Teddy Pendergrass on title track, “Somebody Save Me”. His smooth, buttery vocals delicately dance
atop a backing of violin and cello. This
definitely sets the mood for a slow dance.
Sugaray
is the real deal and Somebody Save Me
is an amazing listen.
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