On "Twenty," Cray finally offers a definition of "modern blues", with his tale of a young urbanite wanting to avenge 9/11 in Afghanistan, only to be shipped to be Iraq, where he meets a uselesss death. It's a poignant tune, not overtly political, that sizes up the confusion of our current state of mindset. But it's on "Back Door Slam" that Cray dispells any notions that he is not, at least in heart, a bluesman to be reckoned with.

"I am what I am," he growls defiantly. "I am the backdoor slam." This may be more prophecy than bravado. Cray and his band pay tribute both to the blues and to the Stax definition of soul. They don't by any definition set new standards here. What they do accomplish, however, is a  collection of tunes that serve as an introduction to soul music and the blues.

Longtime blues afficionados are unlikely to embrace Live Across the Pond as a turning point in Robert Cray's career. Nor should they. This is hardly a groundbreaking album. It is, however, the first live album the Robert Cray Band has ever released. As such, it offers us a perspective on the way the man puts his performance together.

It gers down to this: Robert Cray can play the hell out of a Stratocaster. Robert Cray plays to the room. Robert Cray is not a blues player in the traditional sence. Neither was Stevie Ray Vaughan. As Stevie brought a rock sensibility to blues, Robert Cray brings a Memphis soul sensibility to blues. Both brought blues into a mainstream mindset.

In the end, Robert Cray's influence on the state of so-called modern blues cannot be  underestimated. Live Across the Pond shows why.