BLUES ACCESS
SUMMER 2001 ISSUE
KENNY "BLUE" RAY featuring JACKIE PAYNE
Soulful Blues, Tone King 1066
Kenny "Blue" Ray has utilized his
experience with numerous Blues Legends over the past 30 years to develop
into the kind of solo artist who inspires because his great guitar playing
sounds effortless. Whether it's the slow burn on "Blue Monday"
or the punched-up turn on Albert Collins' "Hot 'N' Cold," Kenny
Ray let's his guitar do the talking. He's teamed up with vocalist Jackie
Payne for all but one cut on this release, scaling back the guitar attack
a bit to allow Payne's vocals to simmer on their soulful cover of Jimi
Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile," punctuating Payne's singing on Howlin
Wolf's "Who's Been Talking," and letting it sing to us on Leo
Gooden's "C.O.D." This set makes a great disc for a road trip.
John Koetzner
Soulful Blues
Kenny "Blue" Ray featuring Jackie Payne
Tone King Records
By Bob Putignano
Wow! The liner notes state that this is Kenny's eleventh release in
just seven years, well this guy has to be the best kept secret in
the blues business, because this recording is a delight from
beginning to end. And what more needs to be said about the featured
Jackie Payne who shines throughout here.
It's pedal to the metal on New Orleans great Earl King's, "A
Man Needs His Lovin" with great vocals from Jackie and a hot
guitar break from KBR. Listen to the horn charts which is
reminiscent of the early Albert Collins bands. Next is Aaron
"T-Bone" Walker's "Mean Old World" and does this
band ever lay down a smooth groove, with nice B3 work from Audie de
Lone, and real clear and clean guitar work from Kenny. Jackie and
the band scat sweetly through, "Road Block", and I love
when Jackie calls out, "Ah Blue let me hear ya," as Kenny
wails on his solo break, followed by some, "Fathead" like
tenor by Carl Green. Hendrix's, "Voodoo Chile" seems a odd
choice for this collection, but they make it their own thing without
the obligatory Hendrix copy by Kenny, and a different soulful
arrangement, with nice 70's exploratory jam band guitar, and strong
vocals by Jackie. Its back to the blues basics on King Albert's,
"Lonesome", and it seems obvious that Kenny was deeply
affected by the late great Albert King. Speaking of the
aforementioned Albert Collins, on this CD's lone instrumental is
Collin's, "Hot n' Cold" with a fine tenor intro and exit
from Carl Green, followed by some Iceman like stinging by KBR, and
finds the band in a solid swing. The Wolf's, "Who's Been
Talking" is a classic Chicago soul Howl, with Kenny doing the
Hubert sounds on guitar. Don Robey's, "Blues Monday" is
given a smoky late night club feel, and Kenny must be a java man, as
he reaches out on guitar when Jackie speaks about his needed dose of
black coffee, then Kenny stretches out for a nice long guitar solo.
What a perfect choice for the band to choose Darrell Nulisch and
Steve Gomes's, "Stop Thinkin' Take". Check out Kenny's
Burrell/Montgomery like chording, which is a pleasure to hear on a
blues recording. This band really gets it in a beautiful jump style
on, "Home At Last", listen to the subtle shifts in swing,
as they dig down deep and teach us what it is all about, and where
it all came from on my favorite track on the album. One of Albert
King's regular favorites was Leo Gooden's, "COD" the
album's closing track, with Kenny paying deep respect to the one and
only Albert King, in a classic like, "Live Wire/Blues
Power" form. In all my years of listening, I have never heard
anyone come close to nailing Albert the way Kenny does here, it's
almost eerie, but wonderful.
If it is not obvious how I feel about this recording, then read the
above paragraphs again! This is a great CD. Now I need to find those
other eleven releases. Needless to say, I highly recommend this CD,
and Kenny "Blue" Ray. Now lets get him to the NY area.
Cross your fingers, as there is a remote possibility that thanks to
the good folks at the South Jersey Jazz & Blues Foundation, and
a intro to my buddy Nick Coppola, we may have the good fortune of
seeing Kenny and is band at Great Adventure in September. Stay
tuned.
Kenny "Blue" Ray featuring Jackie Payne
Soulful Blues (Tone
King 1066)
- Barry Gober, April 2001 Southwest Blues
San Francisco based blues guitarist Kenny "Blue" Ray
cranks out blues records like politician's crank out hollow promises
- fast and furious. Soulful Blues is Ray's 12th recording since
1994. Like it's predecessors, Soulful Blues contains a mix of Texas
shuffles, slow blues, and tasty instrumentals all featuring Ray's
concise lead guitar work front and center. However, what sets
Soulful Blues apart from Ray's previous albums is the presence of
vocalist Jackie Payne. Payne, who appeared on a few cuts on Ray's
1997 JSP disc In All Of My Life, is a superb vocalist who brings an
added depth to the songs on the record.
The disc leads off with a cover of Earl King's "A Man Needs His
Loving" which many Texas blues fans will find familiar as it
has been a staple of Anson Funderburgh and the Rocket's stage show
for quite some time. The next song is a cover of T-Bone Walker's
"Mean Old World" which features impeccable phrasing and
out of this world tone from Ray's guitar over the accompaniment of
Audie de Lone's Hammond B-3. Jackie Payne is then given a chance to
show his vocal prowess on the late Johnny Adams'
"Roadblock". Ray then takes a stab at Jimi Hendrix'
blues-rock classic "Voodoo Chile" and strips it down to
it's Mississippi Delta roots. No Kenny "Blue" Ray disc
would be complete without at least one Albert Collins instrumental
and a few Albert King songs thrown in to boot, and Ray does not
disappoint covering Collins' "Hot 'n Cold" and King's
"Lonesome" and "COD".
Two songs on this disc really stand out. The first is a version of
the classic slow blues tune "Blue Monday" on which Payne
really gets a chance to showcase his sterling vocal chops. This song
has always been one of my favorites and Payne turns in a great
performance on this one. Another highlight of the album is a tune
written by former Dallas resident Darrell Nulish entitled "Stop
Thinkin' Take" which Ray has recast into a laid back organ
shuffle that finds a seductive groove behind Payne's soulful vocal.
A true modern masterpiece.
While Soulful Blues does not feature as much guitar work as some of
Ray's earlier recordings, the addition of Payne's vocals plus
improved production qualities courtesy of Steve Edmonson formerly of
San Francisco's The Dynatones make Soulful Blues the best recording
of Kenny "Blue" Ray's career. A strong record from start
to finish.
Soulful Blues
Kenny "Blue" Ray featuring Jackie Payne
Tone King Records, TKCD 1066
Total Time: 47:56
A Man Needs His Loving / Mean Old World / Road Block / Voodoo Chile
/ Lonesome / Hot 'N Cold / Who's Been Talkin' / Blue Monday / Stop
Thinkin' Take / Home At Last / COD
By Greg Johnson
Kenny "Blue" Ray has been an extremely prolific artist
over the past seven or so years. This is his twelfth CD over that
span and despite the amount of first-class music he has released in
such a short time, "Soulful Blues" may very well be his
greatest effort to date. With the assistance of former Dynatone
guitarist Steve Edmonson at the production helm, Kenny teamed with
the extraordinary Jackie Payne, one of the most overlooked vocalist
performing Soulful Blues today (or any other time for that matter).
Together they have taken a collection of well-selected tracks and
created a recording that is definitely satisfying right out of the
gate and not letting up until its reached the end of its play cycle.
Kenny and Jackie work together as if they're long lost siblings.
Twin sons tied together by a common umbilical cord rooted firmly in
the Mother Blues. Led down a path that transverses the genre's
entire electrical history, from post-war to present-day. Opening
with a jumping take of Earl King's funky New Orleans'-styled "A
Man Needs His Loving" set against a West Coast flavor, complete
with horns, it defines the open boundaries that are found throughout
the CD. The pair tackle numbers by many of the Blues' most-renowned
songwriters: Howlin' Wolf, Albert King and Albert Collins to name a
few. The cover of T-Bone Walker's "Mean Old World" rings
vibrantly with Kenny's subtle Jazzy-toned guitar meshed to
perfection by beautiful Hammond fills a la Audie de Lone and Payne's
remarkable voice. And for anybody that has ever debated Jimi
Hendrix's place as a true Blues songwriter or not, listening to
Kenny's pace on "Voodoo Chile" will certainly qualm any
disbelievers right away.
Kenny is a guitarist that follows the old Teddy Roosevelt adage
of "walk softly, but carry a big stick." That is how he
approaches the guitar as he sits casually back through most numbers,
never losing his presence with a steady rhythm. But when he does
step out to solo, he lets loose on the strings with masterful power
that is never uncomfortably in your face.
"Soulful Blues" is a recording that is just begging to
be placed on your CD player. And once you do put it there, you're
going to have a hard time taking it off. It just gets better with
every listen. Packed full of winning cuts, there's not a bad number
to be found anywhere on this disc. Go ahead, try to find one!
Kenny and Jackie are an incredible Blues dream team; one that we
need to see more of. Though it's still very early in the year, this
is one CD that'll be found on many "Best of the Year"
lists next winter. Guaranteed!!
Kenny "Blue" Ray Featuring
Jackie Payne:
Soulful Blues (Tone King)
Both Kenny "Blue" Ray and Jackie Payne have been
slogging away in the blues/soul trenches for over thirty years.
While their names may not light up the big marquees these two
seasoned veterans are immensely talented. That talent and experience
radiate off Soulful Blues a true meeting of the minds.
Guitarist Kenny "Blue" Ray is one of the top axe men on
the scene and his tasteful, big toned sound has graced eleven CD's
in the past seven years and he's played with such artists as William
Clarke, Little Charlie and the Nightcats, Charlie Musselwhite,
Smokey Wilson, Albert Collins, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Ray and
Jackie aren't strangers, in fact Kenny played guitar and produced
the wonderful Day In The Life (Of A Bluesman) which came out on JSP
1998. While that record was Jackie's first full length outing he
first made his recording debut in the 60's and scored a regional hit
with "Go-Go Train" in 1965 for the Jet Stream label. He
also worked with many blues legends, including T-Bone Walker, Johnny
Copeland, Albert Collins, Gatemouth Brown, Lowell Folsom, Pee Wee
Crayton and has recorded with Johnny Otis.
Soulful Blues is a tremendously successful collaboration.
Recorded for the most part live in the studio this is truly a group
effort backed by a terrific band plus the incredible interplay
between Jackie's silky, soulful voice and Kenny's big toned tasteful
playing. The whole production is a classy affair and reminds me of
some of the better Johnny Adams records on Rounder in the 80's and
90's. Soulful Blues consists of eleven well chosen covers and
there's not a bum track in the bunch with favorites going to the
rousing "A Man Needs His Loving", a gritty take on
"Mean Old World", "Road Block", and a great
cover of Darrell Nullisch's "Stop Thinkin' Take." The band
adds just the right punch with some great sounding horns and
wonderful Hammond organ from Audie de Lone.
Soulful Blues comes highly recommended and musically is better
than most of the records coming out on the larger labels. As this is
on Ray's own small label it may take a bit more effort to track down
but certainly well worth your trouble.
Jeff Harris, http://www.baddogblues.com/reviews.htm
Kenny "Blue" Ray The Tone King
With 11 CD's under his belt, Kenny continues the blues tradition
with an amazing reverence for classic blues tone that is supremely
evident in all of his recordings. We think Kenny has nailed some
guitar tones that simply haven't been heard since the originals were
cut in the 50's and 60's.
Kenny knows the blues and he definitely knows how to get that
made-in-heaven tone.
The Tone Quest Report
Kenny "Blue" Ray
Keep the Mojo Workin'
Tone King 1064
Review by Ann Wickstrom
If you still aren't hip to Kenny Blue Ray, do yourself a favor and
get on board this man's boogie train. Having just turned fifty, KBR
has been on over forty blues albums and has been cranking out a
minimum of two a year (of his own) for the last five years. Even at
that incredible rate, he never disappoints. Nor does he waste notes,
your time, or his time. Most of this CD was done live, with a few
overdubbed solos, and it was all wrapped up in just two sessions.
One would expect no less from this no-nonsense West Coast blues
warrior.
The title cut is an instrumental tribute to Anson Funderburgh, who
Ray says is one of his favorite players - and people - on earth.
"Unseen Eye", a late 50's Sonny Boy Williamson classic,
features Charlie Chavez on vocals and harp and Ray doing some sweet
Lockwood licks. Ray takes to the Hammond B3 on four of the
instrumentals, including Albert Collins' "Backstroke" and
Ray's own "Chula Juana Mama", with a bit of Billy Gibbons
harmonics. He also plays B3 (and uses a capo on the guitar track) on
his tribute to Jimmie Vaughan, "Hush Puppies", and on the
early 60's B.B. King/Duke Jethro-style "Grits, Greens and
Gravy".
As usual for Kenny, there just isn't a clunker on this CD. Whether
playing his originals or a cover you've heard countless times (such
as Little Walter's "Mean Old World"), Ray lays down the
law and proves once again that he's got the corner on the tone
market. At least part of that tone can be attributed to his new
batch of custom, made-from-scratch Blueray Signature guitars. These
guitars have the 50's and 60's looking design of both Strats and
Teles, and have a distinctive West Coast, Texas, or Chicago blues
sound to them - depending which one Kenny uses and what he decides
he wants to do with it.
Eddie Taylor's immortal 1955 hit "Bad Boy" is here, as
well as Jimmy Reed's laconic shuffle "You Don't Have To
Go". You also get a great tribute to KBR's late great boss,
William Clarke. (Ray's first record appearance was on Clarke's 1978
"Hittin' Heavy"). "Blues for Bill" features Stan
Powell on chromatic harp, and it's close enough to Clarke's West
Coast blowin' to bring a tear to the eye. Ray plays a Resonator
guitar and pairs with Chavez on vocals and harp to do the
Broomduster riff all over again on the Elmore James classic "I
Believe".
Your blues collection will thank you for adding this notch to the
belt; you simply can't go wrong with Kenny Blue Ray. He is the
genuine article.
• Ann Wickstrom, Blues Access Magazine, Winter 99
KENNY "BLUE" RAY
Keep the Mojo Workin'
"Kenny "Blue" Ray has spent most of the 90's
generating a series of instructional guitar videotapes and issuing a
torrent of albums. Keep the Mojo Workin'
follows his established formula: a bale of Ray instrumentals with
reworkings of songs from the masters, all held together by
butter-and-barbed-wire guitar. Though KBR has branched out into
Hammond organ playing, his music is definitely centered on guitar
and harp. His guitar showpieces a style blending Albert Collins,
Albert King, with bits of B. B. King. When backing harpmen Charlie
Chavez and Stan Powell, Ray displays a master's touch, laying down
chord figures and single-note lines with the precision of Eddie
Taylor.
Mojo's material ranges from the 50's B. B. King vibe of "Grits,Greens
& Gravy" and the latter-day Jimmie Vaughan on "Hush
Puppies" to the Texas T-Birds mood of "Blue Cat Hop"
and the jazzy nod to William Clarke in "Blues for Bill."
The remaining half of the album consists of familiar material by
Elmore James, Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, and
Taylor."
• Blues Revue, Nov. 1999
Kenny "Blue" Ray - "Bless My Axe"
Tone King Records TKCD1062
Review by Ann Wickstrom
"Kenny Ray is a jack of all trades on his guitar. He is a west
coast cat and that is the most prevalent sound on Bless
My Axe, but there are some big servings of jazz and even a
little delta pickin' here. Regardless of style, TONE is the name of
his game and he's got the corner on that
market.
Ray has been cranking out CDs faster than you can say 'Thank you Sir
may I have another?' This is his ninth solo release in five years,
and he has made countless appearances with some very heavy hitters.
In fact, his first appearance was on William Clarke's 'Hittin'
Heavy' in 1978, with Hollywood Fats sharing the bill. He has also
recorded with SRV, Anson Funderburgh Ronnie Earl, Charlie
Musselwhite, and Roomful of Blues Horns.
Bless My Axe has six originals and eight
covers, drawing from Little Milton, Howlin' Wolf, Detroit Jr., Ike
Turner, John Lee Hooker, Sonny Boy Williamson, Stan Turrentine and
Lowell Fulson.
Ray often plays big fat chords and employs a bit of echo to produce
a good ol' righteous sound. He is at his bluest on his own slow,
smoldering 'Couch Pilot' and at his jazziest on Turrentine's
'Sugar'. On 'Cadillac Drive', Ray duplicates Wes Montgomery's style
perfectly.
Louis Pain (Paul deLay Band) on Hammond B-3 and Rob Sudduth on sax
shine brightly on this CD of very cool proportions."
• Review copyright © 1998 by Ann Wickstrom, all rights reserved.
"Here's a double shot of some of the leanest, cleanest and
meanest guitar licks by one of the finest purveyors of the
Texas-blues tradition currently in practice. Kenny "Blue"
Ray evokes the spirit of the Kings, Albert Collins and T-Bone while
forging his own identity as a player of considerable chops and
taste."
"It's obvious from Memphis' opener, "Gator Ride,"
which showcases Ray's snarling fret work and nimble phrasing -
short, sweet and to the point. Or the appropriately titled
"Let's Party," which swings like mad in a clean, jazzy
style. Check out the delicious licks displayed on "Blue"
slow and deliberate string bends in combo with wide vibrato, every
drop of feeling wrenched from every note. Ray's really got that tone
thing down, running the gamut from reed-thin Tele-bite to bright,
full-bodied harmonic distortion on the title track. Add all this to
a penchant for quick staccato outbursts of notes, and you've got
fully expressive guitar playing, playing that really speaks to
you."
"Way Down in Memphis and Bless
My Axe are bookends of an excellent case study of how superior
guitar tone coupled with impeccable taste and restraint equals more
power and feeling. Faster and louder is not the only answer."
• Jon Martinez, Blues Access • No. 35 • Fall 1998
"Kenny "Blue" Ray may be one of the most prolific
independent recording artists in the bins. Bless
My Axe is his eighth recording on his own Tone King label, and
he's recorded on JSP as well. What you get with each of Ray's discs
is a meticulously crafted listening experience. Whether it's Texas
fire, T-Bone Walker twisting turnarounds or an Albert King knockout
punch, Ray's Northern California guitar has enough dazzle to please
any music lover. Boxers succeed when they throw punches in effective
combinations. Whether he holds a single note, bends three into a
deadly tone or accelerates through clusters of 10 - or whether he
plays dead-on fills behind a sax, harp, piano or organ - Kenny
"Blue" Ray fires off string combinations guaranteed to
bring a knockout to whatever he plays."
• Art Tipaldi, Blues Revue, July/August 1998
"Just how good is Kenny "Blue" Ray? Well, all seven
of his previously released solo recordings have been CBA "BluesNotes
Picks" and I can't ever recall seeing a negative review in any
of the national Blues publications. In fact, he's gotten some great
reviews mostly focusing on his incredible tone and control. But, I
think his ultimate compliment came in "Pulse Magazine"
this Spring (March '98) when Blues Guitar Hero, Joe Louis Walker had
Kenny "Blue" Ray's Strat Daddy (Kenny's third recording)
on his list of 10 Desert Island Discs. That says a lot!"
"How good is this new material? Simply, some of the best stuff
he's done! His new solo effort, Bless My Axe,
leans a little towards the jazzier side of the Blues; reminiscent of
some of the stuff Ronnie Earl's doing these days. Kenny enlists the
support of Louis Pain from Paul deLay's Band on Hammond B-3 for four
tunes. Louis is a delight contributing a lot to the jazzier sound of
the recording. Kenny has no trouble playin' West Montgomery styled
licks to keep pace, but then he can muster up most any style of
playing without much difficulty."
• Rick Hall, Cascade Blues Association BluesNotes, July 1998
"I have Kenny's Way Down in Memphis
CD. Albert Collins fans will want to set their players on repeat for
track one, "Gator Ride" and track nine
"Wildcat". I especially like Gator Ride for the early A.C.
sound. I don't know everybody making records today, but Kenny is the
best A.C. man I've heard. This is a big deal to me because Albert is
my all-time favorite guitarist and I've been listening to him since
his days with Jimmy McGriff. Kenny covers the B3 on these two cuts,
so that makes the overall effect of them all the more homey for me.
Rounding out my top three choices is Ike Turner's "I'm Tore
Up" where Kenny is doing pure Freddie King. Kenny's not just an
axeman par excellence, he also wrote ten out of the fourteen
cuts."
• Dave Therault, 1998
"Add to the ranks of non-singing blues guitarists (Ronnie Earl,
Anson Funderburgh, etc.) the name of Kenny "Blue" Ray. His
crisp Texas-style lead work carries a heavy dose of Albert Collins
reverb without resorting to slavish imitation of the Master of the
Telecaster. Ray's no newcomer to the studio; he's cut five CDs for
his own label since 1994. This California native splits his JSP bow
evenly between tough instrumentals with his crackling axe front and
center and vocal outings spotlighting a trio of singers. Ray pays
instrumental tribute to Collins on Blues For the Iceman over a
Frosty groove, and runs his axe through a Leslie speaker to achieve
an organ effect on the deliciously downbeat For 'Jannie Ray'."
• Bill Dahl, Living Blues, September/October 1997
"How does he do it? Kenny "Blue" Ray has been
consistently one of our biggest sellers over the last couple of
years with his five albums on Blue Ray and Tone King labels. Every
new release consolidates his position as one of the top blues
guitarists around. His last (released only a couple months ago - Git
It! - Tone King TKCD 1060) was a CD full of instrumentals which
thrilled guitar and hardened bluesfreaks alike. Now here he comes
thundering along with In All Of My Life, a great new mix of
instrumentals plus seven hot new blues songs."
• Redlick Records, May/June 1997
"Kenny "Blue" Ray came out as topcat of the emerging
blues guitar heroes last year outselling all the other hot pickers
and gaining a reputation as one of the bluesmen you can trust to
come up with the goods. And here he is with an album of
instrumentals that'll delight all blues guitar fans. Great stuff. Git
It! is an exceptional collection of great guitar instrumentals
which proves that KBR can outcut all the competition whenever he
feels like it, and he feels like it on this album! 5 star stuff if I
ever heard it."
• K.Smith, Red Lick Records, March/April 1997
"Kenny Ray is a way-undersung artist who displays a dazzling
command of fat-toned rocking blues, and he's much deserving of wider
attention. Heck, even co-peninsula resident John
Lee Hooker is a big fan of Kenny Ray."
• Joseph Jordan, Southland Blues - Bay Area Blues Beat, 1995
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