Sugaray
Rayford
On March 1st Forty Below Records will release Somebody Save Me
the new studio album from Texas-born soul blues singer, Sugaray
Rayford. On the album’s opening track, “The Revelator”, Rayford
forcefully sings, “I’m a freak of nature / I ain’t no honey bee
/ I’m an unknown creature / The like you’ve never seen.” At 6’5”
and 300 pounds, this cigar chompin’ ex-Marine with a voice like
a force of nature holds court in any room he enters. Possessing
a magnetic personality, and an old school vocal style that
echoes Muddy Waters, Otis Redding and Teddy Pendergrass, Rayford
is also a stellar dancer with moves reminiscent of the Legendary
James Brown.
Somebody Save Me is an ambitious album that slides gracefully
between the new blues of Gary Clarke Jr. and Fantastic Negrito
and the vintage Daptones soul of the late Charles Bradley and
Sharon Jones, bringing a fresh take to classic sounds.
The album was written and produced by Forty Below Records
founder Eric Corne. Best known for his work with blues legends
John Mayall and Walter Trout, Corne and Forty Below have also
launched the careers of several talented new artists, such as
Sam Morrow, Jaime Wyatt and KaiL Baxley. A number of mainstays
from Corne productions feature strongly here including guitarist
Rick Holmstrom (Mavis Staples), bassist Taras Prodaniuk (Dwight
Yoakam), drummer Matt Tecu (Jakob Dylan), keyboardist Sasha
Smith (Sam Beam, Jesca Hoop), guitarist Eamon Ryland (The Happy
Mondays) and the horn section from Late Night with Conan
O’Brien. Corne recorded the bulk of the record live and the
chemistry of the performances infuses the songs with a
spontaneity and raw emotion.
The ten songs on the album explore contrasting themes of
darkness and light. There is social commentary like on “Time to
Get Movin’” “The mansions on the hillside / Look down on
homeless camps / While we’re caught in the crossfire / Lookin’
for the exit ramps”. There are several love songs, including two
gorgeous soul ballads, “My Cards are on the Table” and “Somebody
Save Me”, the Stax inspired “You and I” and the more Motown
leaning “Is It Just Me”, “She could free the worst villain /
From the tightest prison / And have the warden waving goodbye”.
The album is full of inspired arrangements with several
unexpected twists and turns; like the John Barry (James Bond)
inspired bridge of “Angels and Devils”; the wobbly 1950s
inspired keyboard solo and lush strings of the title track,
recorded with The Section Quartet (Ryan Adams, Father John
Misty); and the gospel choir, shape-shifting keyboards and
dramatic horns of “The Revelator” which seamlessly blends blues,
soul and jazz with a hint of reggae. But at the center if it all
is Sugaray Rayford’s commanding voice, tying it all together.
Rayford
began his musical career at the tender age of seven, singing and
playing drums in church, and his gospel influences definitely
shine through in his music. The soulful rasp and emotive vocal
style hint at his first-hand experience with hardship, and a
childhood marked by poverty and loss.
“I remember a sad game I used to play with
my brothers, a competition that determined who was skinniest by
counting the number of belt holes left unused,” recalls
Rayford.
His
mother struggled to raise three boys alone while battling
cancer. "She suffered and we suffered," Rayford says. "Then, we
moved in with my grandmother and our lives improved. We ate
every day and we were in church every day, which I loved. I grew
up in gospel and soul.”
As
front-man of The Mannish Boys, Rayford and the band won the
Blues Music Award for Best Traditional Blues Album in 2013 and
Rayford himself has been nominated for over a dozen BMA’s,
including Vocalist of the Year multiple nominations for B.B.
King Entertainer of the Year.
With his 8-piece crack band and personal charm,
Rayford’s live shows are quickly becoming re-known for their
high-energy and celebratory nature, with Rayford whipping the
crowds into a frenzy, like a Gospel Preacher. In the studio and
in person, Sugaray Rayford is developing a reputation as a force
to be reckoned with and an artist to watch in the coming years.
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Amba
Tremain
Amba Tremain and her band bring you the sound of
‘Cinematic Rhythm & Blues’. A cross of genres that blend brand
new music with old school influences, creating songs that have
the power to transport you back in time. Whether she's out
acoustically or with her full band, Amba delivers a huge,
unadulterated show and packs a big punch with her vocals. Her
songs are real stories about passion, love, heartbreak and
honest feelings, some will even move you to tears.
Nominated in 2024’s ‘Emerging Act of the Year’ by the U.K Blues
Federation, The Amba Tremain Band are about burst onto the scene
and have been quoted as ONE TO WATCH!
A big sound with even bigger presence. Do not
miss them live…
‘Excellent sets by
one of the tightest live bands around, with one of the most
talented singer/songwriters out front. They deserve much greater
recognition’ - Richard Donnelly Coolham Live Music Club
‘Real Soul, festival
bookers should snap this show up while they can afford to.
Powerhouse doesn't describe the half of it' - Mark Ede BiGiAM
Promotions
‘So much soul in her
voice, so powerful, this song is a proper earworm and will
totally stay in your head. This track really shows off her
vocals and what a powerhouse voice she has' - Steph N @ BBC
introducing
Over
a decade ago Backbone Blues Band’s story began in a field. Two
bandmates having a beer and talking music at the Blues on the
Farm festival. ‘My sister’s been going to the King Biscuit
Festival for years’ says one. ‘We should go!’
Later that year the fledgling band made its first trip to the
Mississippi Delta, cementing a love for the music and firing a
desire to make Backbone a band that plays the blues in its own
style - faithful to the genre but distinctive and entertaining
in its delivery. More than ten years on, and with as many trips
to the Biscuit in that time, the band has earned friends and
plaudits both sides of the Atlantic.
Their fourth album, ‘old new borrowed blues’, enjoyed extensive
radio coverage on blues shows and was extremely well received.
Something of a watershed recording, it represents an homage to
much missed lead singer Duncan Highet, whose passing left the
band mourning the loss of a great friend. It also signposted the
band’s way forward, with guitarist Tony Seaman stepping in to
the lead vocal role, and new members Luke (Duncan’s son) on
bass, and guitarist Martin Spellman bringing their own talents
to the Backbone sound. Steve Pearce on keys and Martin Jezzard
on drums complete the band personnel.
This year’s trip to the Delta sees the band making their second
main stage appearance at the Biscuit - we believe the only
non-US band to have played the festival more than once - and
includes a return to Morgan Freeman’s iconic Ground Zero blues
club in Clarksdale, where the band’s performances have enjoyed
an enthusiastic following.
In the U.K. the band have built a reputation for delivering
their blues in an entertaining and engaging style, with
performances at a number of festivals and blues clubs, including
the award-winning Tuesday Blues at the 100 Club. They’re already
booked for the Looe festival on their return from the States,
and for Blackpool’s inaugural blues festival in early ‘24. Catch
them if you can, live or on record - you’ll like what you hear!
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