Ray Bailey - Satan's Horn - 1995

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Ray Bailey - Satan's Horn - 1995

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Product Description - Personnel: Ray Bailey, Satan's Horn (Zoo 1995) – The debut album by Ray Bailey is the major-label reissue of an extraordinary one-night studio session that was recorded in the spring of 1993. While the artwork makes it appear that the 39-year-old Bailey is some kind of ghetto rapper, he's actually a bluesman extraordinaire, and a formidable talent.
Incredibly, the disc was recorded, mixed, and edited during one intense 12-hour studio session. Produced by Crosby Tyler, the album features Ray on guitars and vocals, Randy Goldberg on drums, Bill Willis on organ, and Jeff Littleton on bass.
Though recorded in a rush, Satan's Horn sounds as relaxed as a midnight jam session. Virtually every song reflects Ray's experiences in his South Central Los Angeles neighborhood, and several draw upon his past drug experiences, including the title track, in which he sings of a crack-addicted friend who "spends her nights blowing Satan's horn" (a play on words based on the slang name for crack pipes as "horns").
All of the cuts on Satan's Horn (except one) are originals; while Bailey's lyrics could use some polishing (lines such as "You told me you was a virgin girl/And you look mighty clean/I knew it would be tight now/So I brought me some Vaseline" on "Love Her With a Feeling" are embarrassing), but his heart and soul are in the right place.
When Bailey kicks out on an extended guitar-based blues jam (such as "Bad Times, Sad Times"), the album truly comes to life. Says Bailey, "I was hugely influenced by jazz. I grew up with the organ trio-type thing, which is what I work with a lot, organ trio. I played with Johnny "Hammond" Smith and Jimmy McGriff and a lot of the jazz organ players. There's a lot of that stuff in my music."
Bailey continues. "It's fiery, it's funky, and its danceable. It's the blues. All of the window dressing is gone, and it's one human being to another. I'm really proud of it."
As well he should be. The comparison to the late Ted Hawkins is inevitable, as both The Next Hundred Years and Satan's Horn represent amazing come-from-nowhere blues albums. Though Hawkins' voice was stronger, Bailey's earnest, jazzy sense of the blues can't be overlooked. Just based on its recording history, Satan's Horn is incredible. Turn down the lights, get out your Marlboro's and 16-ounce malt liquor, and enjoy this disc.

×

Ray Bailey - Satan's Horn - 1995

Close

Review: Ray Bailey, Satan's Horn (Zoo 1995) – The debut album by Ray Bailey is the major-label reissue of an extraordinary one-night studio session that was recorded in the spring of 1993. While the artwork makes it appear that the 39-year-old Bailey is some kind of ghetto rapper, he's actually a bluesman extraordinaire, and a formidable talent.
Incredibly, the disc was recorded, mixed, and edited during one intense 12-hour studio session. Produced by Crosby Tyler, the album features Ray on guitars and vocals, Randy Goldberg on drums, Bill Willis on organ, and Jeff Littleton on bass.
Though recorded in a rush, Satan's Horn sounds as relaxed as a midnight jam session. Virtually every song reflects Ray's experiences in his South Central Los Angeles neighborhood, and several draw upon his past drug experiences, including the title track, in which he sings of a crack-addicted friend who "spends her nights blowing Satan's horn" (a play on words based on the slang name for crack pipes as "horns").
All of the cuts on Satan's Horn (except one) are originals; while Bailey's lyrics could use some polishing (lines such as "You told me you was a virgin girl/And you look mighty clean/I knew it would be tight now/So I brought me some Vaseline" on "Love Her With a Feeling" are embarrassing), but his heart and soul are in the right place.
When Bailey kicks out on an extended guitar-based blues jam (such as "Bad Times, Sad Times"), the album truly comes to life. Says Bailey, "I was hugely influenced by jazz. I grew up with the organ trio-type thing, which is what I work with a lot, organ trio. I played with Johnny "Hammond" Smith and Jimmy McGriff and a lot of the jazz organ players. There's a lot of that stuff in my music."
Bailey continues. "It's fiery, it's funky, and its danceable. It's the blues. All of the window dressing is gone, and it's one human being to another. I'm really proud of it."
As well he should be. The comparison to the late Ted Hawkins is inevitable, as both The Next Hundred Years and Satan's Horn represent amazing come-from-nowhere blues albums. Though Hawkins' voice was stronger, Bailey's earnest, jazzy sense of the blues can't be overlooked. Just based on its recording history, Satan's Horn is incredible. Turn down the lights, get out your Marlboro's and 16-ounce malt liquor, and enjoy this disc.