Artist: Sugaray Rayford
Album: Somebody Save Me
Label: Forty Below
Release Date: 3.1.2019
Larger-than-life personality Sugaray Rayford is breaking out on Eric Corne’s Forty Below label (John Mayall, Walter Trout) to deliver his delectable blend of soul and blues. Yes, Rayford has a physique reminiscent of Howlin’ Wolf, and voice, perhaps not as quite distinctive, but every bit as powerful in its own way. He’s a perennial contender for the coveted B.B King Entertainer of the Year Blues Music Award. He’s a force of nature that straddles the line between vintage and contemporary. Rayford’s name comes up in conversation with vintage names like Otis Redding and Teddy Pendergrass, as well as with contemporaries like Charles Bradley and Fantastic Negrito.
Corne wrote every tune, produced and engineered the album, bringing in some of LA’s best players who backed Rayford with an eight-piece band. Guitarist Rick Holmstrom (Mavis Staples), bassist Taras Prodaniuk (Dwight Yoakam, Richard Thompson), drummer Matt Tecu (Jakob Dylan), keyboardist Sasha Smith (Sam Beam), guitarist Eamon Ryland (The Happy Mondays) and the horn section from Late Night with Conan O’Brien all support. The bulk of the album was recorded live and spontaneously.
These ten songs explore the contrasts of darkness and light with several love songs and social commentary in “Time to Get Movin’”: “The mansions of the hillside/Look down on homeless camps/While we’re caught in the crossfire/Lookin’ for the exit ramps.” Rayford proves as strong as any of the iconic soul singers, crooning the ballads “My Cards are on the Table” and the title track, clearly the standout. Soul has a stronger presence here than blues. “You and I” is Stax-like while “Is It Just Me” brings a Motown groove.
Some of the tunes are rather contemporary too. The opening track, “Revelator,” is a mash-up of blues, jazz, soul, and reggae with a string quartet (The Section Quartet), moody keyboards and horns. Rayford states his brand for the outset – “I’m a freak of nature/I ain’t no honey bee/I’m an unknown creature/The like you’ve never seen.” Others use surprisingly vintage elements. “Angels and Devils” has a John Barry (James Bond) inspired bridge and a 1950’s keyboard solo. Rayford can sound tender on a ballad and absolutely menacing as he does on the closing “Dark Night of the Soul.”
Rayford’s powerhouse vocals hold it all together. He’s that rare singer who can induce chills and goosebumps. This may well be his breakthrough album. Sit back and listen to one of today’s best blues-soul singers. Even better, attend one of his live performances where his energy can totally galvanize an audience. He is TOURING, and appearing at the Berks County Jazz Fest in Reading, PA on April 6.
—Jim Hynes
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