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"Whether it be Soul, Blues, Gospel, or all points in between, the fact still remains that you are not going to find much of a better Artist to sing them than Sugaray". That is the lasting impression that I got after listening to Sugaray Rayford's previous release "Blind Alley", and it is that lasting impression that I still strongly feel after listening to Rayford's dynamite new album "Dangerous". At 6'5", Sugaray, born Caron "Sugaray" Rayford, is a big man, which is one of the reasons he is really able to belt out a song, but his ability to get even deeper into the music comes from his rich musical past. "His love for music began as many great singers had, in Church, at a young age, singing and playing the drums. It is from those roots that he found his love for Gospel and Soul". About 14 years ago he got into music a bit deeper with being the lead singer for a R&B/Funk band called Urban Gypsys. It is with that band, that his career started to become finely honed as he had the opportunity to share the stage with many greats, which included, "The Average White Band, Dennis Quaid, Joe Louis Walker, Kal David, Super Diamond & Venice, to name a few". Later on he joined a more bluesier band called, Aunt Kizzy’z Boyz, where his popularity as a mighty fine blues singer continued to grow. In 2006, the band placed second at that years International Blues Challenge (IBC). It was via that years IBC that Sugaray Rayford caught the attention of Randy Chortkoff, the head of Delta Groove Productions, which led to Sugaray being chosen as lead frontman for a few Mannish Boys shows, which also lead to him being the lead frontman for their critically acclaimed release, "Double Dynamite". In 2010, Sugaray released his Solo Debut "Blind Alley", with "Dangerous" being his equally acclaimed sophomore release. "Dangerous" consists of 14 tracks, categorized as, "a cross section of classic and contemporary, originals and seldom-heard covers, all representing the truth at the core of Sugaray's blues soul". In addition to a few originals by Sugaray Rayford, whom is joined by co-writer R. Carter, "Dangerous" also features songs from performers Sugar Ray Norcia, Randy Chortkoff, Frank Goldwasser and covers from legends Son House, Gatemouth Brown, Junior Parker, and Pee Wee Crayton. One thing is a certainty, if the album in question is a Delta Groove Productions album, it is going to have nothing less than a stellar lineup of musicians for the supporting cast, of which "Dangerous" is absolutely no exception, as it contains some of the very best out there today, which included on various Tracks, Sugar Ray Norcia (Harmonica/Vocals), Kim Wilson (Harmonica), Big Pete (Harmonica), Randy Chortkoff (Harmonica), Kid Andersen (Lead/Rhythm Guitars), Monster Mike Welch (Lead/Tremolo/Rhythm Guitars), Anthony Geraci (Piano), Fred Kaplan (Piano), and Frank Goldwasser (Lead/Slide/National Steel/Rhythm Guitars), plus a few more. "Dangerous" clocked in a 67 minutes of fantastic music that was not easy for me to pick a few favorites from as each song was really special in it's own right. That being said, there were a few that caught my attention just slightly more than the rest and those were, Track 4 "Two Times Sugar", Track 6 "Pretty Fine Mama", and Track 14 "Preaching Blues". "Two Times Sugar", a song written by Sugar Ray Norcia, was a really fun song, playing on Sugaray Rayford and Sugar Ray Norcia both being called Sugar. Both Norcia and Rayford sing on this beauty, trading off on Vocals, as well as singing together. Monster Mike Welch also brings some great Lead Guitar work to the mix. "Pretty Fine Mama", has a slight Hill Stompin' Blues feel, with Randy Chortkoff, whom wrote this song, playing some mighty fine Harmonica. "Preaching Blues", the Son House classic, finishes off "Dangerous" in fine fashion. This one is a lean production featuring a little back beat, Sugaray doing Vocals, and Frank Goldwasser doing some great Slide Guitar work throughout. "Preaching Blues", was my number one favorite of them all. Great Stuff... Sugaray Rayford had me hooked from the first few notes of his debut release, "Blind Alley", and his new release "Dangerous", contains nothing to change my mind other than the fact that I love his music even more. "Dangerous" is an absolutely great new release from Sugaray Rayford and is one that will certainly please his current fanbase and will also grab him quite a few more new fans. 5***** Review by John Vermilyea (Blues Underground Network)
Listen To Samples Here... http://www.deltagrooveproductions.com/music/releases/dangerous/audio.html Additional Artist Info... http://sugarayblues.com/
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Release Date September 17, 2013