Midnight Stroll (CD - 1990)

Personnel: Robert Cray (vocals, guitar); Tim Kaihatsu (guitar); Jimmy Pugh (keyboards); Richard Cousins (bass); Kevin Hayes (drums, percussion).

The Memphis Horns: Andrew Love (tenor saxophone); Wayne Jackson (trumpet, trombone).

Midtown Memphis Rhythm Section: Antoine Sally, Night Train Clemons, Madison Cooper (percussion).

Recorded at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California and Sunnyside Studios, Los Angeles, California.

Cray went into a more soul-slanted direction for this solid collection, coarsening his vocal cords for "The Forecast (Calls for Pain)" and the rest of the set. ~ Bill Dahl

With three Grammys under his belt and a sterling reputation among both his peers and the public, Robert Cray welcomed the '90s with MIDNIGHT STROLL, arguably the best album in an already impressive discography. Working with a new band that included new keyboardist Jimmy Pugh and rhythm guitarist Tim Kaihatsu along with longtime friend and bassist Richard Cousins, Cray was also rejoined by the Memphis Horns. This time out, Cray's mix of Memphis soul and emotive blues guitar with tales of complex relationships hit perfect synergy.

Although Cray writes about heartbreak on "These Things" and "My Problem" in a manner soaked in pathos, it's when he growls out his yearning on the prior that goosebumps immediately stand at attention. Rather than spend the whole record wallowing in self-pity, Cray and his crack team are content to throw their hands up over the whole mess in the snappy "Labor Of Love," ask for breathing room on the sassy "Walk Around Time" and deal with the "Consequences" at the end of the day. Just when things look darkest, Cray digs deep for the nugget of hope that is "Bouncin' Back." minimize