The Catfish Kray Blues Band

Catfish Kray might be a blues veteran who started playing during the '60s in Cleveland before moving to Denver in 1980, but he recruited some young talent last year, essentially cutting the band's average age in half. The young blood seems to have added a notable amount of fire to...

By Jon Solomon

July 23, 2009

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Catfish Kray might be a blues veteran who started playing during the '60s in Cleveland before moving to Denver in 1980, but he recruited some young talent last year, essentially cutting the band's average age in half. The young blood seems to have added a notable amount of fire to Splash, the band's debut. Kray is obviously a proficient blues guitarist, especially on "Catfishin," where his icy tone and phrasing recall one of his favorites, Albert Collins. And while he riffs it up throughout the disc, he also lets the competent vocalist Jesse Garland sing on most of the cuts and lets two horn players shine. As a result, Kray and company make more than just a splash on this disc; they also make a few waves.

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