Cray’s at home at the Garde
If any of the hundreds of performers who’ve passed through the Garde Arts Center could be said to be a “favorite” son or daughter, it’s probably blues-rock star Robert Cray. He appears with almost yearly precision on the facility’s events calendar — and he routinely fills the place.
What’s more, each show is distinct and special in its own fashion. Cray still delights in delivering hits such as “Right Next Door,” “Smoking Gun,” “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” and “The Forecast (Calls for Pain),” and he’s constantly delivering new albums and exploring new sonic territories.
For his Friday show at the Garde, though, fans can expect a particularly memorable evening. Touring behind his newest and 18th album, “Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm,” so called because the artist recorded in Memphis with that city’s legendary Hi Rhythm Section studio players, Cray has actually brought them on the road with him. The band thus includes Rev. Charles Hodges (organ and piano), Leroy “Flick” Hodges (bass), and Archie “Hubbie” Turner (keyboards).
With some fiery new original tunes and craftily chosen covers by the likes of Tony Joe White and Bill Withers — and with Cray reunited with producer Steve Jordan, the man behind the board for Cray’s fine early work — Cray seems completely reborn.
A special treat: guitarist/singer John Fries and bassist Corina Malbaurn, ex-members of Fries’ band The Heat, are reuniting to open the show. That’s great news, as the pair have a wonderful chemistry together. Robert Cray Band, 8 p.m. Friday, Garde Arts Center, 325 State St., New London; $48, $58; (86) 444-7373, gardearts.org.