Sugaray Rayford Announces New Album ‘Human Decency’ Shares New Single

Sugaray Rayford Announces New Album ‘Human Decency’ out June 14th via Forty Below Records and Shares New Single

Sugaray Rayford announces the June 14th release of Human Decency via Forty Below Records. The title track is a simple reminder that our similarities are more substantial than our differences, and in the end, there is no black or white or left or right; there are only hearts and minds.

The current single, “Ain’t That A Man” was premiered by Soul Tracks Magazine. It’s a play on the Muddy Waters “Mannish Boy” lyric but instead of expressing bravado, this is a more self-deprecating look at a man who “always needs to be the winner” and is often “swimming up river” to try and get there.

Performing on the track are guitarist Rick Holmstrom and and singer Saundra Williams both from Mavis Staples’s band, along with drummer Matt Tecu (Jakob Dylan), bassist Taras Prodaniuk (Lucinda Williams), guitarist Eamon Ryand (Happy Mondays), keyboardist Sasha Smith (Sam Beam), trumpeter Mark Pender (Bruce Springsteen) and saxophonist Joe Sublett (B.B. King), with producer Eric Corne adding acoustic guitar.

“Ain’t That A Man”

 
Pre-save/Stream the new single HERE

Pre-order the album ‘Human Decency’ HERE

At his core, Sugaray Rayford is a unifying force. His live shows are a party. Some conversations may be had, and some self-reflection may occur, but at the end of the day, people leave feeling a sense of joy and togetherness.

Sugaray Rayford is a man with a message and a larger-than-life personality and voice to deliver it. Working with producer, songwriter Eric Corne, the soul-blues powerhouse has crafted an incendiary sound and narrative, contributing to an exciting new chapter in American soul music.

It’s a sound that combines classic soul melodies and funky R&B grooves with raw blues power, all cooked up in a modern oven. The pair’s first collaboration, Somebody Save Me, earned Rayford a 2020 Grammy nomination. Later that year he took home Blues Music Awards for ‘Soul Blues Male Artist’ and ‘B.B. King Entertainer of the Year.‘ Rayford’s follow up In Too Deep won a plethora of awards including the Blues Music Award for ‘Soul Blues Album of the Year’.

Rayford’s recent releases have been broad in their scope, drawing comparisons to everyone from Teddy Pendergrass, to Fantastic Negrito “Eric and I are both lifelong fans of classic soul and blues, but we also like to push the envelope,” states Rayford.

“We want to build on the music, not be a pastiche of classic styles,” adds Corne.

After finding some early success with the award-winning The Mannish Boys, Rayford struck out on his own with Blind Alley. In 2017, The World That We Live In helped Rayford break through to the upper echelon of the blues world while also putting the soul community on notice that he had arrived. Since joining Forty Below Records, Rayford’s sound has continued to evolve in compelling ways.

Born in Tyler, Texas, Sugaray Rayford’s early years were full of turmoil. His mother struggled to raise three boys alone while battling cancer. “She suffered, and we suffered,’ Rayford says. “Then, we moved in with my grandmother, and our lives improved. We ate every day, and we were in church every day, which I loved. I grew up in Gospel and soul.” Rayford began his musical career at the tender age of seven, singing and playing drums in church, and his gospel influences shine through in his music. The soulful rasp and expressive vocal style hint at his first-hand experience with hardship, and a childhood marked by poverty and loss.

As an African American youth growing up in poverty, Rayford saw the military as a path out serving ten years in the Marines. Today he is as comfortable using his voice to deliver songs with a message as he is singing about love. “I believe in social justice and want that to be a focus in the music, but I also like to have a good time. The light and the shade, baby!” says Rayford.

Soul and Jazz and Funk declared, “Think back to the Golden days of Chess and people like Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters; then factor in the sound of classic soul men like Solomon Burke and add a sprinkle of the big-voiced icons like Teddy P and you’re getting near to the sound of Sugaray Rayford. Float that over an authentic soul backing in the manner of Daptone and Stax, and you’re getting near to the sound of “Somebody Save Me.”

Sugaray Rayford Tour Dates HERE