Strong Persuader

Strong Persuader is the fifth studio album by American blues singer and guitarist Robert Cray. It was recorded by Cray at the Los Angeles studios Sage & Sound and Haywood's with producers Bruce Bromberg and Dennis Walker,[1] before being released on November 17, 1986, by Mercury Records and Hightone Records.[2] Strong Persuader became his mainstream breakthrough and by 1995 it had sold over two million copies.[3] The record was later ranked #42 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 80's.[4]

Strong Persuader
Studio album by
Robert Cray
ReleasedNovember 17, 1986
StudioSage & Sound and Haywood's in Los Angeles
GenreBlues, soul
Length39:34
LabelMercury
ProducerBruce Bromberg, Dennis Walker
Robert Cray chronology
Showdown!
(1985)		 Strong Persuader
(1986)		 Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
(1988)

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Retrospective reviews
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Christgau's Record Guide: The '80sA+[6]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[7]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[8]

Strong Persuader received rave reviews from contemporary critics.[9] In a review for Rolling Stone, Jon Pareles said Cray delivered intriguing stories about sex and infidelity with disciplined singing, songwriting, and "a version of blues and soul that doesn't come from any one region, building an idiom for songs that tell with conversational directness the stories of ordinary folks".[10] Robert Christgau from The Village Voice praised Cray's sophisticated blues aesthetic and the songwriting of his supporting studio team, hailing Strong Persuader as "the best blues record in many, many years, so fervently crafted that it may even get what it deserves and become the first album to break out of the genre's sales ghetto since B.B. King was a hot item."[11]

At the end of 1986, Strong Persuader was voted the third best album of the year in the Pazz & Jop, an annual poll of American critics published by The Village Voice.[12] Christgau, the poll's supervisor, ranked it fourth on his own year-end list.[13] In a retrospective review, AllMusic critic Bill Dahl said "it was [Cray's] innovative expansion of the genre itself that makes this album a genuine 1980s classic."[5]

Track listing
  1. "Smoking Gun" (David Amy, Richard Cousins, Robert Cray) – 4:07
  2. "I Guess I Showed Her" (Dennis Walker) – 3:39
  3. "Right Next Door (Because of Me)" (Dennis Walker) – 4:19
  4. "Nothin' But a Woman" (David Amy, Cousins, Cray, Peter Boe, David Olson) – 3:58
  5. "Still Around" (Peter Boe) – 3:42
  6. "More Than I Can Stand" (Cray) – 2:57
  7. "Foul Play" (Dennis Walker) – 4:07
  8. "I Wonder" (Cray) – 3:57
  9. "Fantasized" (Dennis Walker) – 4:04
  10. "New Blood" (David Amy, Peter Boe, Cray, Ozall Washington) – 4:21

Personnel
  • Fidel Bell – mixing assistant
  • Charlie Brocco – mixing assistant
  • Peter Boe – keyboards
  • Bruce Bromberg – producer (songwriting credit: David Amy)
  • Richard Cousins – bass
  • Robert Cray – main performer, guitar, vocals
  • David Olson – drums
  • Lee Spath – percussion
  • Andrew Love – tenor saxophone
  • Wayne Jackson – trumpet, trombone

Singles
Year Release Chart positions
UK
[14]		 US
[15]		 US M.
[15]
1986 Smoking Gun — 22 2
1987 Right Next Door (Because Of Me) 50 80 27
I Guess I Showed Her — — 28

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[26] Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[27] Gold 50,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[26] Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[28] 4× Platinum 60,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[26] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[29] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Anon. (1986). Strong Persuader (CD edition booklet). Robert Cray. Mercury. 830 568-2 M-1.
  2. "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 15 November 1986. p. 22. Retrieved 14 May 2021 – via Google Books.
  3. "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 4 November 1995. p. 14. Retrieved 14 May 2021 – via Google Books.
  4. "100 Best Albums of the Eighties". Rollingstone.com. 16 November 1989. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  5. Bill Dahl. "Strong Persuader – Robert Cray, Robert Cray Band | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
  6. Christgau, Robert (1990). "R". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved March 18, 2022 – via robertchristgau.com.
  7. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Robert Cray". Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 2006. ISBN 978-0857125958.
  8. Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. p. 143. ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.
  9. Tamarkin, Jeff (December 13, 1986). "Talent In Action". Billboard. New York. p. 20. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  10. Pareles, Jon (January 29, 1987). "Robert Cray: Strong Persuader". Rolling Stone. New York. Archived from the original on November 12, 2007. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  11. Christgau, Robert (December 2, 1986). "Blues Without Corn Pone". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  12. "The 1986 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. New York. March 3, 1987. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  13. Christgau, Robert (March 3, 1987). "Pazz & Jop 1986: Dean's List". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  14. "right next door | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  15. "Strong Persuader - Robert Cray Band, Robert Cray | Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  16. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 76. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  17. "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 46, No. 1, April 11, 1987". RPM magazine. Archived from the original on July 8, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  18. "Dutchcharts.nl – Robert Cray – Strong Persuader" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  19. "Charts.nz – Robert Cray – Strong Persuader". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  20. "ROBERT CRAY BAND | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  21. "Strong Persuader – Billboard 200". Ultimate Music Database. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  22. "Dutch Charts – Jaaroverzichten 1987". Dutch Charts. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  23. "Top Selling Albums of 1987". The Official New Zealand Music Chart. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  24. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1987". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  25. "Robert Cray Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Robert Cray. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  26. "The Robert Cray Band" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. 1987-12-26. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  27. "Canadian album certifications – Robert Cray – Strong Persuader". Music Canada. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  28. "Latest Gold / Platinum Albums". Radioscope. 17 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  29. "American album certifications – Robert Cray – Strong Persuader". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
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