Robert Cray's Twenty

[Jahfin]

From Infozine.com:
http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op ... /sid/7655/

Robert Cray's Twenty Speaks with the Voice of a Disillusioned Soldier

Los Angeles, Calif. - infoZine ­ The Robert Cray Band's forthcoming album Twenty is set for release on a week bookended by the May 24 birthday of one of this generation's most eloquent protest songwriters, Bob Dylan, and by Memorial Day, May 30. The dates are significant when one considers the subject matter which defines the album's title track, "Twenty."

"The song is about an innocent young guy, who, after the events of 9/11, wants to do his part for his country," Cray explains. "He doesn't know he's going to end up in Iraq, watching the horror that's going on there?and he ends up losing his life. It's a subject that needs to be spoken about and is in some ways, a continuation of one of the songs we did on the last album."

While Cray has generally focused his writing on personal relationships, his song "Survivor" as well as co-producer and bandmate Jim Pugh's "Distant Shore," both on Cray's 2003 CD Time Will Tell, were also inspired by concerns about what was, at the time of their writing, an impending war in Iraq.

Robert Cray is a five time Grammy winner who grew up on military bases in the U.S. and abroad. His father served in Vietnam so Robert has personal knowledge of the effect on a family when one of it's members is serving abroad.

On May 24 ­ the album's street date -- TrueMajority.org, a non partisan, non-profit, grassroots education and advocacy project founded by Ben Cohen (Ben & Jerry's), plans to offer the song a streaming audio to its entire online community of 575,000 Americans who are committed to getting government to reflect our values of justice, compassion and sustainability.

The May 24 release of Twenty, Cray's fourteenth album, will be backed by an extensive worldwide tour by The Robert Cray Band beginning on the week of release with a May 26 San Francisco benefit for Music In Schools Today. The tour will continue across the U.S. and Europe throughout the summer. A full itinerary appears at www.rosebudus.com/tourdates/cray.html .

"Twenty"
words and music by Robert Cray

When you're used up, where do you go Soldier
Mother dry your eyes, there's no need to cry
I'm not a boy, it's what I signed up for

When you're used up, where do you go Soldier
I can't take the heat, and I hardly sleep anymore
What'd we come here for

Standing out here in the desert
Trying to protect an oil line
I'd really like to do my job but
This ain't the country that I had in mind
They call this a war on terror
I see a lot of civilians dying
Mothers, sons, fathers and daughters
Not to mention some friends of mine
Some friends of mine

Was supposed to leave last week
Promises they don't keep anymore
Got to fight the rich man's war

When you're used up, where do you go Soldier
Late in 2004
Comes a knock at the door
It's no surprise
Mother dry your eyes

[DeactiveCarib]

do you post every article you come across on the internet here? just out of curiousity . . i mean cuz personally i have never heard of Robert Cray or most of the other articles u post here. Maybe you could tell me what robert cray is known for.

[pair8head]

do you post every article you come across on the internet here? just out of curiousity . . i mean cuz personally i have never heard of Robert Cray or most of the other articles u post here. Maybe you could tell me what robert cray is known for.

Robert Cray is a Great Blues guitar player and singer from Tacoma Washingon. I used to be able to pay a 2 buck cover charge and listen to him all night at clubs in Seattle.



My personal favorite CD

[a1aara]

Robert Cray puts on a great live show. If you get a chance...check him out.

[DeactiveCarib]

do you post every article you come across on the internet here? just out of curiousity . . i mean cuz personally i have never heard of Robert Cray or most of the other articles u post here. Maybe you could tell me what robert cray is known for.

Robert Cray is a Great Blues guitar player and singer from Tacoma Washingon. I used to be able to pay a 2 buck cover charge and listen to him all night at clubs in Seattle.

thanks for the info, i appreciate it. . .

Just for the record, if you are posting articles on people that you know aren't very well known, maybe the poster should give a little background info on the artist

[a1aara]

do you post every article you come across on the internet here? just out of curiousity . . i mean cuz personally i have never heard of Robert Cray or most of the other articles u post here. Maybe you could tell me what robert cray is known for.

Robert Cray is a Great Blues guitar player and singer from Tacoma Washingon. I used to be able to pay a 2 buck cover charge and listen to him all night at clubs in Seattle.

thanks for the info, i appreciate it. . .

Just for the record, if you are posting articles on people that you know aren't very well known, maybe the poster should give a little background info on the artist

Robert Cray is one of the best known Blues artists in the world.

[buffettbride]

do you post every article you come across on the internet here? just out of curiousity . . i mean cuz personally i have never heard of Robert Cray or most of the other articles u post here. Maybe you could tell me what robert cray is known for.

Robert Cray is a Great Blues guitar player and singer from Tacoma Washingon. I used to be able to pay a 2 buck cover charge and listen to him all night at clubs in Seattle.

thanks for the info, i appreciate it. . .

Just for the record, if you are posting articles on people that you know aren't very well known, maybe the poster should give a little background info on the artist

Robert Cray is one of the best known Blues artists in the world.

But not everyone listens to Blues music.

I had no idea who he was. Not even the name.

That's kind of insulting.

[a1aara]

try this:

http://www.robertcray.com


I think some of the site may be under construction.

[a1aara]

do you post every article you come across on the internet here? just out of curiousity . . i mean cuz personally i have never heard of Robert Cray or most of the other articles u post here. Maybe you could tell me what robert cray is known for.

Robert Cray is a Great Blues guitar player and singer from Tacoma Washingon. I used to be able to pay a 2 buck cover charge and listen to him all night at clubs in Seattle.

thanks for the info, i appreciate it. . .

Just for the record, if you are posting articles on people that you know aren't very well known, maybe the poster should give a little background info on the artist

Robert Cray is one of the best known Blues artists in the world.

But not everyone listens to Blues music.

I had no idea who he was. Not even the name.

That's kind of insulting.

I'm not sure how I was being insulting? I am sorry if you took it that way. It was not my intentions to insult anyone.

[Tampico]

I quit being amazed years ago when people didn't know or had never heard of the music I was familiar with. I figured I'm old, I'm 45 and have over 4000 recordings between LP's, Cassettes, CD's & DVD's. My tatse ranges from George Jones to Eddy Grant to Guns 'n' Roses to The James Gang to Lucinda Williams to Elvis Costello to John Gorka to whatever the person I saw saturday night was.

Jahfin - I enjoy it when you post an article about artist that I like and that most people who read the main board probably have never heard of. It shows you listen to a lot of different stuff and I respect that.

For those of you who have never heard of these artist, don't take it so serious, just pause and go on to the next topic or go to your local record store and buy one of these artist's CD's to see if you might like them.

Also don't be afaird to take a chance on music. If all the new music you hear comes from the radio you are probably missing 90% of the best music that is being played today.

As far as Robert Cray goes my personal favorite is Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark but if you just want a taste I recommend one of the greatest Blues CD's ever released; Showdown! where Albert Collins, Johnny Copeland, & Robert Cray get together and jam on 9 classics.

[a1aara]

Tin-eared critics have frequently damned him as a yuppie blues wanna-be whose slickly soulful offerings bear scant resemblance to the real down-home item. In reality, Robert Cray is one of a precious few active blues artists with the talent and vision to successfully usher the idiom into the future without resorting either to slavish imitation or simply playing rock while passing it off as blues. Just as importantly, his immensely popular records helped immeasurably to jump-start the contemporary blues boom that still holds sway to this day. Blessed with a soulful voice that sometimes recalls '60s great O.V. Wright and a concise lead guitar approach that never wastes notes, Cray's ascendancy was amazingly swift -- in 1986 his breakthrough album, Strong Persuader, for Mercury (containing "Smoking Gun") won him a Grammy and shot his asking price for a night's work skyward. Unlike too many of his peers, Cray continues to experiment within his two presiding genres, blues and soul. Sets such as Midnight Stroll, I Was Warned and Shame + a Sin for Mercury show that the "bluenatics" (as he amusedly labels his purist detractors) have nothing to fear and plenty to anticipate from this innovative, laudably accessible guitarist. ~ Bill Dahl, All Music Guide
Written by Bill Dahl

[a1aara]

Blues For Modern Times:
Robert Cray is a Blues artist for today. He has taken the lessons of the Blues and created a clean, modern sound that caters to today's musical ears without losing the pain of the past. Some Blues purists are not impressed, but the record buying public is! He sells thousands of records and has national hits with Don't Be Afraid of the Dark and Forecast.

Cray formed a Blues band in Eugene, Oregon in 1974. His first record was for Tomato records in 1977 after the label owners saw his performance at the San Francisco Blues festival. With 16 records and several famous collaborations with B.B. King, Keb' Mo', Eric Clapton, John Lee Hooker, Albert Collins, and Tina Turner, Cray has built probably the strongest commercial resume in the Blues.

Robert Cray was the bass player for Otis Day and the Knights in the movie Animal House.

Robert Cray has developed a clean, sparse guitar style that relies heavily on touch instead of amp distortion. He is able to express detailed nuances that most guitarists roll over. His voice is capable of the same nuances, and the combination of his guitar results in a airy, soulful ballerina-on-a-tightrope passages.

Robert Cray continues to tour, record, collaborate, and innovate. A Bluesman for modern times.

[ragtopW]

do you post every article you come across on the internet here? just out of curiousity . . i mean cuz personally i have never heard of Robert Cray or most of the other articles u post here. Maybe you could tell me what robert cray is known for.

uh robert Cray is listed in almost every BN disscussion on the Blues
and most of our "other Artists" there are a lot of BNers
that listen to and Attend Robert Cray shows..

Try Smoking Gun for one song
and The Forecast calls for Pain for another

[DeactiveCarib]

do you post every article you come across on the internet here? just out of curiousity . . i mean cuz personally i have never heard of Robert Cray or most of the other articles u post here. Maybe you could tell me what robert cray is known for.

Robert Cray is a Great Blues guitar player and singer from Tacoma Washingon. I used to be able to pay a 2 buck cover charge and listen to him all night at clubs in Seattle.

thanks for the info, i appreciate it. . .

Just for the record, if you are posting articles on people that you know aren't very well known, maybe the poster should give a little background info on the artist

Robert Cray is one of the best known Blues artists in the world.

But not everyone listens to Blues music.

I had no idea who he was. Not even the name.

That's kind of insulting.

I completely agree, a1aara's comment came off as insulting but thats okay

[DeactiveCarib]

do you post every article you come across on the internet here? just out of curiousity . . i mean cuz personally i have never heard of Robert Cray or most of the other articles u post here. Maybe you could tell me what robert cray is known for.

uh robert Cray is listed in almost every BN disscussion on the Blues
and most of our "other Artists" there are a lot of BNers
that listen to and Attend Robert Cray shows..

Try Smoking Gun for one song
and The Forecast calls for Pain for another

all i was saying was that I havent heard of Robert Cray, and i would like to find out some info on who he is. I dont listen to blues that often, please forgive me for not knowing who robert clay is.

[ragtopW]

do you post every article you come across on the internet here? just out of curiousity . . i mean cuz personally i have never heard of Robert Cray or most of the other articles u post here. Maybe you could tell me what robert cray is known for.

uh robert Cray is listed in almost every BN disscussion on the Blues
and most of our "other Artists" there are a lot of BNers
that listen to and Attend Robert Cray shows..

Try Smoking Gun for one song
and The Forecast calls for Pain for another

all i was saying was that I havent heard of Robert Cray, and i would like to find out some info on who he is. I dont listen to blues that often, please forgive me for not knowing who robert clay is.

I understand I was just explaining, and I did not check the rest of the thread for posts as I should have
My "thing " for R/C is that he plays a song and goes onto the next, there
are NO ten or twelve minute songe he plays, solos, thrills and goes on..
also a good story teller

[a1aara]

do you post every article you come across on the internet here? just out of curiousity . . i mean cuz personally i have never heard of Robert Cray or most of the other articles u post here. Maybe you could tell me what robert cray is known for.

Robert Cray is a Great Blues guitar player and singer from Tacoma Washingon. I used to be able to pay a 2 buck cover charge and listen to him all night at clubs in Seattle.

thanks for the info, i appreciate it. . .

Just for the record, if you are posting articles on people that you know aren't very well known, maybe the poster should give a little background info on the artist

Robert Cray is one of the best known Blues artists in the world.

But not everyone listens to Blues music.

I had no idea who he was. Not even the name.

That's kind of insulting.

I completely agree, a1aara's comment came off as insulting but thats okay

I found you original post insulting but thats okay

[DeactiveCarib]

Robert Cray is a Great Blues guitar player and singer from Tacoma Washingon. I used to be able to pay a 2 buck cover charge and listen to him all night at clubs in Seattle.

thanks for the info, i appreciate it. . .

Just for the record, if you are posting articles on people that you know aren't very well known, maybe the poster should give a little background info on the artist

Robert Cray is one of the best known Blues artists in the world.

But not everyone listens to Blues music.

I had no idea who he was. Not even the name.

That's kind of insulting.

I completely agree, a1aara's comment came off as insulting but thats okay

I found you original post insulting but thats okay

was my original post directed at you?? no, so why would you take offense to it . . .. . this will only further people's impression that Jahfin and a1aara are the same exact person . . . . so tell me Jaha1afinara, are you implying that you are the same person, because im not quite sure why u'd take offense to a comment that wasn't directed at you?

maybe Jaha1afinara has finally slipped and proven that is the same person

[a1aara]

thanks for the info, i appreciate it. . .

Just for the record, if you are posting articles on people that you know aren't very well known, maybe the poster should give a little background info on the artist

Robert Cray is one of the best known Blues artists in the world.

But not everyone listens to Blues music.

I had no idea who he was. Not even the name.

That's kind of insulting.

I completely agree, a1aara's comment came off as insulting but thats okay

I found you original post insulting but thats okay

was my original post directed at you?? no, so why would you take offense to it . . .. . this will only further people's impression that Jahfin and a1aara are the same exact person . . . . so tell me Jaha1afinara, are you implying that you are the same person, because im not quite sure why u'd take offense to a comment that wasn't directed at you?

maybe Jaha1afinara has finally slipped and proven that is the same person

Are you gay?

[DeactiveCarib]

Robert Cray is one of the best known Blues artists in the world.

But not everyone listens to Blues music.

I had no idea who he was. Not even the name.

That's kind of insulting.

I completely agree, a1aara's comment came off as insulting but thats okay

I found you original post insulting but thats okay

was my original post directed at you?? no, so why would you take offense to it . . .. . this will only further people's impression that Jahfin and a1aara are the same exact person . . . . so tell me Jaha1afinara, are you implying that you are the same person, because im not quite sure why u'd take offense to a comment that wasn't directed at you?

maybe Jaha1afinara has finally slipped and proven that is the same person

Are you gay?

wow. . . i can't believe a grown man in his late 30s maybe early 40s living with daughters and his wife is reverting to such low insults. This is just pathetic. For me maybe its not so pathetic considreing im only a college student, so if I made a dumb insult like that to you it might be more acceptable, but a grown man making his own living saying something like that is just so immature it blows my mind. So tell me, does your mommy still drive over to your house and dress you in the morning??