Robert Cray

Finding a modern audience has earned Cray some criticism he wouldn't get if he was a struggling club performer. He has a clean, singing guitar, strong songwriting abilities, and a soul voice more Sam Cooke than Muddy Waters. His unique mix of blues, rock, and soul has taken another turn of late: Cray's latest album celebrates that glorious Stax Records sound of the '60s. While their styles are different, Cray could arguably be compared to Ray Charles, another performer who ably crossed blues, soul and pop barriers.