Larry McCray
Blues Without You
KTBA Records |
Larry McCray
burst onto the scene, seemingly out of nowhere,
with his 1991 debut for Point Blank Records,
Ambition. For this young blues fan, who was
still listening to a lot of soul and rock in
addition to the blues, McCray’s brand of blues
was just what the doctor ordered. He was a
monster guitarist capable of playing blues and
rock, or a combination of both, but he was also
a fine vocalist in a soul and R&B vein. His next
couple of albums (another for Point Blank and
one for the House of Blues label) were every bit
as good and it seemed like he was going to be
the next great contemporary bluesman.
In the late ’90s
many blues labels fell by the wayside, so McCray
ended up releasing a few albums on his own
Magnolia label, most of which were and are still
difficult to track down (his earlier releases
are all out of print). He also battled health
and personal issues, along with some management
issues that helped stall his career. Despite
those difficulties, he never stopped playing and
performing, but his last recording was released
was in 2015.
Fortunately,
McCray connected with Joe Bonamassa and Josh
Smith, who produced McCray’s latest release,
Blues Without You, on Bonamassa’s Keeping
the Blues Alive (KTBA) Records.
The opener,
“Arkansas,” a blues rocker with a Diddley beat,
is a tribute to McCray’s home state and he
really digs into it, both vocally and
instrumentally. “Without Love It Doesn’t Matter”
is a mid-tempo traditional blues with piano from
Reese Wynans, with a fine vocal and gritty
guitar from McCray. “Good Die Young” picks up
the pace with horns and backup singers, giving
the song a bit of a gospel feel. The reflective
“Down To The Bottom,” keeps an inspirational
vibe going, slowly building in intensity with
Govt Mule/ABB guitarist Warren Haynes’ slide
guitar taking us out.
The topical
“Breaking News” is a tasty slice of Memphis
soul, complete with strings that sound right out
of ’70s-era Hi Records, and a terrifically
soulful vocal from McCray. Meanwhile, his
wonderful cover of Albert King’s slow burner
“Roadhouse Blues” allows the guitarist to put
his King influences on full display (Wynans’ B3
backing is superb as well). Joanna Connor sits
in on “Drinkin’ Liquor And Chasin’ Women,” a
limber, mid-tempo blues rocker, and Bonamassa
joins McCray to exchange fiery solos on the
funky urban blues “Mr. Easy.” In between these
two tracks is the moving title track, dedicated
to McCray’s late manager, Paul Coch.
“No More Crying”
is a nice southern soul ballad with a fine vocal
from McCray, one of many standout vocal efforts
on the album, which wraps up with the stirring
“Don’t Put Your Dreams To Bed” and “I Play The
Blues,” which is McCray solo on acoustic guitar
as he reflects on what he does and why he does
it.
McCray sounds
like a man inspired on these songs, both vocally
and on guitar. Bonamassa and Smith have provided
the perfect backdrop to let this artist finally
have the opportunity to do what he does best and
their musical support, along with the rest of
the band, is outstanding.
Did I mention
that it’s great to have a new recording from
Larry McCray??!!! What makes it even better is
that it’s probably the best recording he’s ever
made from start to finish, and that’s a pretty
high standard. To say that I recommend Blues
Without You to blues fans everywhere may be
the understatement of the year.
--- Graham Clarke