Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (album)

Last updated
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
Robertcraydontbe.jpg
Studio album by
The Robert Cray Band
ReleasedAugust 8, 1988
Genre Urban blues [1]
Length41:28
Label Mercury
Producer Bruce Bromberg, Dennis Walker
The Robert Cray Band chronology
Strong Persuader
(1986)		Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
(1988)		 Midnight Stroll
(1990)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Chicago Sun-Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [4]
Record Mirror Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [6]
The Village Voice A− [7]

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, released in 1988, is American blues musician Robert Cray's follow-up to Strong Persuader . It was unable to match the mainstream success of Strong Persuader, peaking at number 32 on the Billboard 200 and staying on the chart for 60 weeks. [8]

Contents

Track listing

  1. "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" (Dennis Walker) – 3:47
  2. "Don't You Even Care?" (Cray) – 3:56
  3. "Your Secret's Safe with Me" (Peter Boe, Dennis Walker) – 4:52
  4. "I Can't Go Home" (Cray) – 4:23
  5. "Night Patrol" (David Amy) – 4:43
  6. "Acting This Way" (Peter Boe, Richard Cousins) – 4:26
  7. "Gotta Change the Rules" (Cray) – 3:24
  8. "Across the Line" (David Amy, Peter Boe, Cray, David Olson) – 4:07
  9. "At Last" (Cray, Patsy Sermersheim) – 3:30
  10. "Laugh Out Loud" (Dennis Walker) – 4:20

Personnel

Certifications and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [9] Gold50,000^
Netherlands (NVPI) [10] Gold50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) [11] Platinum15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [12] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [13] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<i>The Pretender</i> (album) 1976 studio album by Jackson Browne

The Pretender is the fourth album by the American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1976. It peaked at No. 5 on Billboard's album chart. The singles from the album were "Here Come Those Tears Again", which reached No. 23, and "The Pretender", which peaked at No. 58.

The Memphis Horns were an American horn section, made famous by their many appearances on Stax Records. The duo consisted of Wayne Jackson on trumpet and Andrew Love on tenor saxophone. An "offshoot of the Mar-Keys", they continued to work together for over 30 years. They lent their sound to 83 gold and platinum awards and over one-hundred high charting records, including Otis Redding's "Sitting On The Dock of the Bay", Al Green's "Let's Stay Together", and Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds".

Robert Cray American blues guitarist and singer

Robert William Cray is an American blues guitarist and singer. He has led his own band and won five Grammy Awards.

<i>Strong Persuader</i> 1986 studio album by Robert Cray

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, before being released on November 17, 1986, by Mercury Records and Hightone Records. Strong Persuader became his mainstream breakthrough and by 1995 it had sold over two million copies. The record was later ranked #42 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 80's.

<i>Bad Influence</i> (Robert Cray album) 1983 studio album by The Robert Cray Band

Bad Influence is the second studio album by the blues singer-songwriter and guitarist Robert Cray.

<i>False Accusations</i> 1985 studio album by The Robert Cray Band

False Accusations is the third studio album by The Robert Cray Band and was released 1985.

<i>Unforgettable... with Love</i> 1991 studio album by Natalie Cole

Unforgettable... with Love, also known as simply Unforgettable, is a 1991 album by American singer Natalie Cole. Released on June 11, 1991, the album includes covers of standards previously performed by her father, Nat King Cole. It was also her debut for Elektra Records, after being given her release from EMI Records.

<i>Fantasy</i> (Carole King album) 1973 studio album by Carole King

Fantasy is the fifth album by American singer-songwriter Carole King, released in 1973. At the time of its release, it only reached number six on the US Billboard 200 album chart, but has remained highly regarded by her fans over the ensuing decades. Presented as a sort of song cycle, the album opens and closes with two versions of the title song and the songs on each side segue directly into one another.

<i>Celebrate!</i> 1980 studio album by Kool & the Gang

Celebrate! is the twelfth studio album by American band Kool & the Gang. Released on September 29, 1980, the album reached No. 1 on the US R&B chart and #10 on the Billboard 200. The album produced perhaps Kool & the Gang's most recognizable hit song, the #1 chart-topper, "Celebration", which still receives heavy play today over four decades later.

<i>Roll with It</i> (album) 1988 studio album by Steve Winwood

Roll with It is the fifth solo studio album by English blue-eyed soul artist Steve Winwood, released on 21 June 1988. It became Winwood's most commercially successful album, reaching number four on the UK Albums Chart and number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, and has sold over three million copies.

<i>Any Love</i> (album) 1988 studio album by Luther Vandross

Any Love is the sixth studio album by American singer Luther Vandross. It was released by Epic Records on September 20, 1988 in the United States. Produced by Vandross and Marcus Miller, the album features a cover of Major Harris' hit single "Love Won't Let Me Wait" as well as "The Second Time Around," a re-recording of a song featured on Vandross's band Luther's 1976 album of the same name.

<i>Another Time, Another Place</i> (Bryan Ferry album) 1974 studio album by Bryan Ferry

Another Time, Another Place was Bryan Ferry's second studio album as a solo artist. The album reached #4 in the UK charts in 1974.

<i>Bobby Bland and B. B. King Together Again...Live</i> 1976 live album by Bobby Bland and B. B. King

Bobby Bland and B. B. King Together Again...Live is a live album recorded in 1976 at the Coconut Grove in Los Angeles by Bobby Bland and B. B. King.

<i>I Was Warned</i> 1992 studio album by Robert Cray

I Was Warned is a blues album by Robert Cray. It was released in April 1992 through Mercury Records. Like Cray’s previous album, it features his regular backing band playing alongside The Memphis Horns.

<i>Midnight Stroll</i> 1990 studio album by Robert Cray

Midnight Stroll is a blues album by Robert Cray and featuring the Memphis Horns. It was released in June 1990 through Mercury Records.

<i>Simple Things</i> (Carole King album) 1977 studio album by Carole King

Simple Things is the 8th album by American singer-songwriter Carole King, released in 1977. It is her first album on the Avatar / Capitol label.

<i>Making Music</i> (Bill Withers album) 1975 studio album by Bill Withers

Making Music is the fourth studio album by American soul singer-songwriter and producer Bill Withers, released in 1975. It was also released in the UK as Making Friends.

<i>Light Out of Darkness (A Tribute to Ray Charles)</i> 1993 studio album by Shirley Horn

Light Out of Darkness is a 1993 studio album by Shirley Horn, recorded in tribute to Ray Charles.

<i>Blues Summit</i> 1993 studio album by B.B. King

Blues Summit is the thirty-third studio album by B.B. King released in 1993 through the MCA label. The album reached peak positions of number 182 on the Billboard 200, and number 64 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart. The album won a Grammy Award in 1994 for Best Traditional Blues Album.

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

References

  1. 1 2 McLeese, Don (August 15, 1988). "`Dark' proves Cray isn't afraid of risks". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on February 29, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  2. ↑ Allmusic Review
  3. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Robert Cray". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN   0857125958.
  4. ↑ Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings . Penguin. p. 143. ISBN   978-0-140-51384-4.
  5. ↑ Strickland, Andy (17 September 1988). "33 - Album Reviews". Record Mirror . p. 32. ISSN   0144-5804.
  6. ↑ "Robert Cray Band - Don't Be Afraid of the Dark CD Album". Cduniverse.com. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  7. ↑ Christgau, Robert (August 30, 1988). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . New York. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  8. ↑ Billboard.com
  9. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Robert Cray – Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark". Music Canada.
  10. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Robert Cray – Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers . Retrieved July 16, 2022.Enter Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  11. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Robert Cray – Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  12. ↑ "British album certifications – Robert Cray – Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark". British Phonographic Industry.
  13. ↑ "American album certifications – Robert Cray – Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark". Recording Industry Association of America.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.