Review – Albert King and Robert Cray New CD/DVD

I’m sorry to say I’ve just HAD to pin myself to my TV and audio system this past weekend as I listen/watch two new releases that are well worth bringing to your attention.

1. Robert Cray – Cookin In Mobile (as in Alabama)  includes an extremely rare DVD video of Cray pumping out some of his best blues, guitar work and soul singing.  Cray never seems to age and his guitar playing gets juicier as time goes on.  It takes Cray a few numbers to get amped up, but he really shows some virtuoso blues guitar – and for a music DVD junkie like me, I loved this DVD.  For those of you who have attended Robert Cray concerts, you know he is not a flashy guy…you won’t get a huge stage show, but rather a basic (yet phenomenal) drummer, base, keyboard 4-piece band.  The show was taped in Saenger Theatre in Mobile Alabama with some of the best sound and video quality I have seen in concert DVD’s – you can hear every note and every bend as Cray squeezes out his emotional tunes.  Definitely a 5-star performance and a 5-star production…get this if you love music DVD’s, blues, soul or just great music

2. Albert King – I’ll Play The Blues For You is arguably the quintessential Albert King album where King at his finest helps define the sharp bends that today permeate so much of blues guitar music.  Heavily influencing Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and his brother Jimmie, Kenny Wayne Shephard and beyond, Albert truly is one of the 3 King’s that really have combined to define blues guitar in the last few decades.   So yes, this is the album to re-issue with 24-times re-sampling it sounds like a dream.  The sound is incredible and there are 3 bonus tracks that I’ve never heard before (never before released) which make this a no-brainer for any Albert King admirer.  The 12-page booklet that comes along is great too. If you are in to blues guitar, this is a MUST for your collection