Who's Been Talkin'

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Who's Been Talkin'
Studio album by
The Robert Cray Band
Released1980
GenreBlues
LabelTomato Records[1]
ProducerBruce Bromberg, Dennis Walker
The Robert Cray Band chronology
Who's Been Talkin'
(1980) 		Bad Influence
(1983)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4/5 stars[2]
Robert ChristgauB[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music3/5 stars[1]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide3/5 stars[4]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings3/4 stars[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide3/5 stars[6]

Who's Been Talkin' is the first album by the Robert Cray Band, released in 1980.[7][8] It received little initial notice due to Tomato Records' bankruptcy.[8] It has been rereleased a couple of times, including under the title Too Many Cooks.[7]

Production[]

Produced by Bruce Bromberg and Dennis Walker, the album was recorded in two sessions.[9][10][11] Cray wrote four of its songs.[12]

Critical reception[]

Robert Christgau wrote: "Cray can recite his catechism without kowtowing to orthodoxy--guitar like Albert Collins only chillier and more staccato, voice like B.B. King only cleaner and, well, thinner."[3] The New York Times, in a review praising the artistic growth of Cray's Strong Persuader, from 1986, thought that his first three albums "variously recalled the Stax/Volt and Atlantic soul sounds, big-city funk, and bar band rock-and-roll."[13] The Globe and Mail commended "the winning confidence, the cool reserve, the sense of pure style and the respectful curiosity about the blues tradition."[14] The Toronto Star thought that "even as a young and impressionable guitarist, Cray had amazing strength and versatility, and no appreciation of his work would be complete without this excellent album."[15]

The Rough Guide to Rock deemed the album "raw and teeming with promise."[11]

Track listing[]

No.TitleLength
1."Too Many Cooks"2:49
2."The Score"4:06
3."The Welfare (Turns Its Back On You)"3:19
4."That's What I'll Do"2:37
5."I'd Rather Be A Wino"4:49
6."Who's Been Talkin'"3:45
7."Sleeping In The Ground"3:19
8."I'm Gonna Forget About You"3:10
9."Nice As A Fool Can Be"3:14
10."If You're Tinkin' What I'm Thinkin'"4:26

Personnel[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Volume 2: MUZE. p. 608.CS1 maint: location (link)
  2. ^ "Who's Been Talkin' - Robert Cray Band, Robert Cray | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Robert Christgau: CG: The Robert Cray Band". www.robertchristgau.com.
  4. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 287.
  5. ^ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. 2006. p. 143.
  6. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 165.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b "Robert Cray | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Harrington, Richard (26 Aug 1988). "Robert Cray & the Rebirth Of the Blues". The Washington Post. p. B1.
  9. ^ Fong-Torres, Ben (January 12, 1986). "He Breathes Hot, New Life Into the Blues - Robert Cray's future may be now". San Francisco Chronicle. SUNDAY DATEBOOK. p. 37.
  10. ^ Gwinn, Mary Ann (October 23, 1988). "BLUESMAN OF HIS OWN PERSUASION - SHY IN LIFE, ON THE STAGE ROBERT CRAY TOUCHES THE HEART WITH HIS SONGS". The Seattle Times. Pacific. p. 6.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b Buckley, Peter (July 10, 2003). "The Rough Guide to Rock". Rough Guides – via Google Books.
  12. ^ Racine, Marty (February 22, 1987). "Records". Houston Chronicle. Zest. p. 11.
  13. ^ Freedman, Samuel G. (November 16, 1986). "ROBERT CRAY'S BLUES EMBODY A DIFFERENT, MODERN IDEA" – via NYTimes.com.
  14. ^ Miller, Mark (23 Apr 1987). "INSIDE THE SLEEVE JAZZ Who's Been Talkin' Robert Cray". The Globe and Mail. p. C3.
  15. ^ Quill, Greg (20 Mar 1987). "Pop Reviews". Toronto Star. p. D14.
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