LP 40 Year Look Back: Robert Cray’s ‘Strong Persuader’ (1986) A Blues Classic

“Why can’t you show some feeling? Why can’t you understand? Messed up my whole life, why wreck my day?” – Robert Cray, “Still Around”

In March of every year we build a playlist of songs from albums released 40 years ago. This year’s “40 year look back” was made up of songs from 1986, obviously. We’ve done this each March for several years previously (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985) for those who are interested.

As invariably happens, throughout the year I start looking back to the albums from that 40 year look back playlist and do a deep dive into a few of them. For 1986, there were a number of popular albums I could have chosen from but I decided earlier this year to do an LP Lookback into Steve Winwood’s Back In The High Life Again. I went even more obscure later when I posted about David And David’s Boomtown. 

I recently found myself hankering for an album of good ol’ fashion 1986 rock n roll and that got me itching for another look back to an album from that year. I could have done Peter Gabriel’s So or Paul Simon’s Graceland (although I just posted about Simon’s great new live album) but for some reason the blues were calling me…like they always do.

In 1986 bluesman Robert Cray released his fourth album – his first on a major label (Mercury) – and it proved to be his breakthrough album. Of course I’m speaking of Strong Persuader, and yes it persuaded a lot of us to start listening to the blues again.

This album was such a surprise hit as the blues had largely disappeared from the mainstream by the mid 80s. After the Blues Brothers’ (Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi) fabulous album Briefcase Full Of Blues, which was a hit album of old live, blues covers, the blues started to disappear in the early 80s.

If you go back to the rock n roll of the 60s or the early 70s, it’s mostly blues based (Zeppelin, Cream, the Stones). But as the 70s waned and Zeppelin left the stage and Van Halen rose up, a separation between the blues and rock music began. Gen X was moving away from the soundtrack of the Baby Boom generation.

Punk and disco did the blues no favors either. The rise of the synth and synth rock also hasten the departure of popular music from the blues. Then the hair metal guys came and there is zero connection between that music and the blues music that fueled a lot of that 70s rock n roll that inspired those latter bands… well, except maybe for Cinderella.

Cray and this album certainly helped fuel a new interest in the blues that had begun in 1983 when Stevie Ray Vaughan burst upon the scene with Texas Flood. Make no mistake the blues would no longer be the beating heart of rock n roll but it was not going quietly into that dark night.

Cray (guitar/vocals) and his band: Robert Cousins (bass), Peter Boe (keyboards) and David Olsen (drums) were augmented with the fabulous Memphis Horns (Andrew Love on sax, Wayne Jackson on trumpet) and with the horns there was more of an R&B/soul feel to many of these tunes. It defied the usual definition of Chicago Blues or Memphis Blues… it was seemingly an all new blues.

I remember being in my car the first time I heard the lead single, “Smoking Gun.” It’s a hypnotic blues track similar in it’s story to the old standard “Hey Joe,” done by many artists in the 60s including Jimi Hendrix, Band Of Joy (Robert Plant’s first band) and… checks notes, Cher.

Like “Hey Joe” the narrator in “Smoking Gun” has found the “smoking gun” i.e. “the conclusive proof” (according to Webster) that his woman has been cheating. Over a loping drum Cray lays out the case against the woman.

He does catch his woman with the “smoking gun” evidence and shoots her… and then the cops find him with an actual smoking gun. What a solo! The guitar seems to be talking back to Cray at the end of the song… he sings a line and then plays it on guitar. I knew I was hearing something special.

Holy shit, I was in. I rerouted the car, as I often did in those days (I had nothing better to do) and went to the record store. The other track that immediately jumped out of me was the second single, “Right Next Door (Because of Me).” The song tells the story of a guitar-playing lothario who seduces the woman who lives next door with her man. “She was just another notch on my guitar.”

While those were the big singles there is so much more to like on this album. It’s not all heavy blues, there’s upbeat stuff and even some humor. I thought “I Guess I Showed Her” with its great horns was hysterical. It’s about a guy that up and moves out of his house (and leaves the car) to a flop house hotel on the mere suspicion of his woman cheating. I mean, dude, hang around and talk it out, let’s not overreact.

“Nothin’ But A Woman” is another great soulful, upbeat bluesy track. He lists all the things you could give him to make him happy, “You can buy me a house, turn over the deed, Bring six pounds of California weed,” but it “ain’t nothing but a woman” to get him through the show. “Fantasized” is another upbeat track with a great guitar beginning. It’s about a crush showing up for a booty call.

Many of my favorite tracks here are indeed heavy blues tunes. “I Wonder” is a classic, slow burner. It’s that gutbucket blues and it’s a definite high point. “New Blood” is similar hard core blues and it’s a song that creeps along at the end of the album.

“Still Around” is a slightly more lively blues track about an ex who showed up and he wakes up and she’s still around. I quoted it above. My roommate Walt and I used to quote that line all the time… “Why wreck my day?” It’s a favorite of mine. He wants her gone, but he always opens the door when she knocks. Who amongst us hasn’t done the same?

“Foul Play” is a similar, if not smoother, blues track about another cheating chick. Robert, who hurt you? It’s another tune with old school blues as the backbone. If you’ve dated this many cheating chicks, uh, maybe it’s you. It’s a great song.

“More Than I Can Stand” is another upbeat track with horns galore. They don’t use the Memphis Horns on every song but I love it when they do. 

This album is a classic blues album treat from start to finish. While the blues never did revert back to its glory days of the 60s/70s, Cray and SRV’s music certainly was a strong reminder of what powerful and enjoyable music this really was. In 1988 I even picked up the follow up Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark on cassette to listen to as I drove the backroads down to Shreveport.

I recommend this album to anybody who hasn’t heard it or hasn’t heard it in a long time. Crank this one up as the sun’s going down with a nice rye and think of things that could have been but maybe were best off fizzling.

Cheers!