The Robert Cray Band: Robert Cray (vocals, guitar); Jim Pugh (keyboards); Karl Sevareid (bass); Kevin Hayes (drums).
The Memphis Horns: Wayne Jackson (trumpet); Andrew Love (tenor saxophone).
Recorded at Ardent Studios, Memphis, Tennessee.
SWEET POTATO PIE was nominated for a 1998 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album.
Personnel: Robert Cray (vocals, guitar); Andrew Love (tenor saxophone); Wayne Jackson (trumpet); Jim Pugh (keyboards); Kevin Hayes (drums).
Audio Mixer: Skidd Mills.
Recording information: Ardent Studios, Memphis, TN.
Photographers: James Minchin; Tom Legoff; Christopher McCants.
Robert Cray always flirted with gritty Southern soul, but it wasn't until Sweet Potato Pie that he made a full-fledged soul-blues record in Memphis. Cray hasn't abandoned blues, but he's woven punchy horns and sexy rhythms into the mix, resulting in one of his stronger records of the '90s. The material remains a bit uneven, but his taste is impeccable -- few blues guitarists are as succinct and memorable as he, and the soul settings of Sweet Potato Pie only confirm that fact. ~ Thom Owens
While teenage blues guitar prodigies get all the press, Robert Cray keeps plowing steadily along with his emotive blend of blues and soul. After years of cutting albums that would do his heroes O.V. Wright and Albert Collins proud, the San Francisco-based Cray makes his first recording foray into the city that he draws much of his inspiration from--Memphis. Although Cray acknowledges his musical forefathers with a rollicking cover of Otis Redding's "Trick Or Treat," PIE remains a predominantly low-key affair. Cray's depiction of the intricacies of romantic relationships goes beyond the usual blues cliches. Add the Memphis Horns to the mix, along with the diverse keyboard stylings of regular Cray sideman Jimmy Pugh, and you have the perfect soundtrack for a bad break-up. minimize