Robert Cray To Release Cookin’ In Mobile CD/DVD July 27

Like Eddie Boyd, Robert Cray had a hard time getting started when it came to live releases.  This veteran bluesman went years without documenting the live performance part of his career but Cookin’ in Mobile is his latest effort to remedy that when it is released July 27.

Mobile is the third live package from Cray in the past four years and what sets this apart from his previous recent live outings is that he is pairing a first-ever DVD with the CD, giving fans a chance to see and hear his set at the historic Saenger Theatre in Mobile, Alabama.

The package offers songs from across his 30-year career and includes his best known song, the surprise smash single “Smoking Gun” from his 1986 album Strong Persuader.  In addition, Cray covers “Sitting On Top Of The World,” a song first performed by Mississippi Sheiks and made more famous by Howlin’ Wolf and later by B.B. King.  The CD and DVD are not identical with 12 songs appearing on the CD and 14 on the DVD.  The two songs not included on the CD are “Twenty” and “Phone Booth.”

Cray is sometimes  a divisive figure in blues circles.  There are those who find his sound slick and style lacking in edginess while his fans champion his sophisticated blend of modern soul with blues.  What could be an interesting conversation about the fine line between innovation and sonic expansion usually turns into a ridiculous argument that now seems pointless with his enduring popularity as a touring musician.  

Cray recently performed at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival, an event held in Chicago to raise money for the treatment center Clapton opened to assist people struggling with chemical dependency issues.

Cookin' In Mobile CD:
1. Our Last Time   
2. Anytime
3. Love 2009
4. Right Next Door
5. Chicken In the Kitchen
6. Sitting On Top of the World
7. One In the Middle   
8. Lotta Lovin'
9. Smoking Gun
10. I Can't Fail
11. That's What Keeps Me Rockin'
12. Time Makes Two

Cookin' In Mobile DVD:
1. Our Last Time   
2. Anytime
3. Love 2009
4. Right Next Door
5. Chicken In the Kitchen
6. Sitting On Top of the World
7. One In the Middle   
8. Lotta Lovin'
9. Smoking Gun
10. I Can't Fail
11. That's What Keeps Me Rockin'
12. Time Makes Two
13. Phone Booth
14. Twenty