Delta Groove Records
First the details:
Texas native Sugaray Rayford is a member of the Los Angeles-based supergroup The Mannish Boys and a featured vocalist on the band’s award-winning 2-CD set Double Dynamite – winner of the 2013 Blues Music Award for Traditional Blues Album of the Year. Dangerous showcases Rayford’s powerhouse vocals on a selection of mostly original material which covers a broad spectrum of styles including Chicago, Texas, Louisiana, West Coast and Delta blues, Soul and R&B. Special guests include Kim Wilson, Sugar Ray Norcia, Big Pete, Kid Andersen, Monster Mike Welch, Gino Matteo, Franck Goldwasser, Fred Kaplan, Anthony Geraci, Bill Stuve, Willie J. Campbell and Jimi Bott.
Track Listings:
1. Country Boy
2. Stuck for a Buck
3. I’m Dangerous
4. Two Times Sugar
5. When It Rains It Pours
6. Pretty Fine Mama
7. Depression Blues
8. Goin’ Back to Texas
9. I Might Do Somethin’ Crazy
10. In the Dark
11. Surrendered
12. Need a Little More Time
13. Keep Her at Home
14. Preaching Blues
Very powerful vocals on this one folks .. and the musicianship and recording quality are top notch. Vocally, Sugaray has that Muddy power .. evident most in the title cut “I’m Dangerous” which also has the powerful harmonica work of Sugar Ray Norcia . Kim Wilson (Fabulous Thunderbirds) provides harp on two cuts .. which combined with Sugaray’s powerful vocals gives that Muddy/Little Walter feel. Songwise, I like cut 2 .. “Stuck For A Buck” .. a Sugaray original. Good stuff .. by a 6’5″ blues singer .. whoa!
4 ½ Stars
You can buy this CD online folks .. SUGARAY website has the links.
When Sugaray belts out a song, you not only hear it, you feel it. The excitement in the room is palpable when he takes the stage; he is a superb vocalist and entertainer. His dynamic voice is large just like the man. With his old school vocal style, echoes of Muddy Waters, Otis Redding and Teddy Pendergrass can be heard. At 6’5” he is a big man, but he moves with grace and energy. His fluid dance steps will remind you of the Legendary James Brown.
Texas born Caron “Sugaray” Rayford began his musical career at the age of 7 singing & playing drums in church, and his gospel influence can be heard and felt in his music. Rayford’s phrasing is intimate and conversational and the soulful gravel in his voice hints at his firsthand experience with hardship. He grew up in Texas, his childhood marked by poverty and loss. He remembered a sad game he played with his brothers, a competition that determined who was skinniest by counting the number of belt holes left unused. His mother struggled to raise three boys alone while battling cancer. When she died, it was a kind of relief. “She suffered and we suffered,” Rayford said. “Then, we moved in with my grandmother and our lives were a lot better. We ate every day and we were in church every day, which I loved. I grew up in gospel and soul.”
His switch to contemporary music began about 12 years ago in the San Diego area, where he sang lead vocals with a R&B/Funk band called Urban Gypsys. With this band he had the privilege of sharing the stage with many notable artists such as The Average White Band, Dennis Quaid, Joe Luis Walker, Kal David, Super Diamond & Venice, to name a few. After dabbling in blues, Suga realized that the blues was where his heart and soul belonged.