ray cashman‘s new album, delta sound, bringing the Houston singer-guitarist back to what he calls “country-style Southern blues.” He commented: “The past two records have been harder blues rock, almost southern rock in places. I feel like I’ve started to stray too far from where I was. These are great records and I certainly feel for them. Proud, but they’re not where I want to be musically right now. I want to go back to the spirit of my previous records, which are clearly more blues-rooted.”
delta soundThe album’s 12 songs tell stories of working-class friendship, hardship and love, all from the time-tested perspective of a man who has been honing his songwriting skills for over two decades. “I just write what comes to mind. Some are in the first person, of course, which I’ve changed to ‘protect the innocent’, while others are completely fictional. I wanted to be a novelist, but I realized early on that I Better at telling a story in a few verses rather than hundreds of pages, so I became a songwriter.”
Recorded in Clarksdale, Mississippi by Grammy-nominated producer Gary Vincent, Cashman’s pared-down vocals hit the bone and evoke a more intimate experience—as if you were It’s like watching him play in someone’s living room. “I spend a month or more every year in Clarksdale, so I get to know all the people who have recorded there; they’re great friends and better musicians. Basically, it’s my live sound. I’ve had enough bands. I prefer to travel by myself or with a harpist. One of the most important things in making this record (any record I make, really) is that all the songs have to be different; they It has to be different. I don’t want to repeat it.”
Cashman’s songs run the gamut from Jukin’ shuffle to back porch riffs to pure blues grooves, and their moods range from undeniably celebratory to undeniably eerie and foreboding — all fully woven into the The spirit of the Delta, and it’s all a rewarding journey.
