Bad Influence (Robert Cray album)

Bad Influence is the second studio album by the blues singer-songwriter and guitarist Robert Cray.^[1]

Bad Influence
Studio album by The Robert Cray Band
Released	1983
Genre	Soul blues
Length	41:57
Label	Hightone[1]
Producer	Bruce Bromberg, Dennis Walker
The Robert Cray Band chronology
Who's Been Talkin' (1980) Bad Influence (1983) False Accusations (1985)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[2]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings	[3]
The Village Voice	B+[4]

Released with Hightone Records, this was the album thought to have put Cray on the map, prior to his explosion into the mainstream with Strong Persuader in 1986. It was his second release and his first on Hightone Records. It contained two cover versions: Johnny Guitar Watson's "Don't Touch Me" and Eddie Floyd's "Got to Make a Comeback".^[1] The most well-known songs off the album are probably the funky minor-key blues song "Phone Booth", later covered by Cray's idol Albert King, and the title track which was subsequently covered by Eric Clapton. Bruce Bromberg and Dennis Walker produced the album for the California-based label.^[1] To date the album has sold over one million copies.^{[citation needed]}

Track listing

1. "Phone Booth" (Robert Cray, Richard Cousins, Dennis Walker, Mike Vannice) (3:32)
2. "Bad Influence" (Cray, Mike Vannice) (2:56)
3. "Grinder" (Cray, David Amy) (4:09)
4. "To Make a Comeback" (Eddie Floyd, Joe Shamwell) (2:50)
5. "So Many Women, So Little Time" (Oscar Washington, David Amy, N.T. Clemens) (4:01)
6. "Where Do I Go from Here" (Cray, Mike Vannice, Dennis Walker) (4:03)
7. "Waiting for the Tide to Turn" (Cray, Mike Vannice, Dennis Walker) (3:31)
8. "March On'" (Cray) (2:25)
9. "Don't Touch Me" (Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Shawn Dewey) (3:25)
10. "No Big Deal" (Cray, David Amy) (4:14)^[1]

Bonus Tracks

11. "I Got Loaded" (Robert Camille) (3:37)
12. "Share What You've Got, Keep What You Need" (Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper) (3:50)^[1]

Personnel

The Robert Cray Band

• Robert Cray – vocals, guitar
• Richard Cousins – bass
• David Olson – drums
• Mike Vannice – keyboards, tenor saxophone
• Warren Rand – alto saxophone
• David Li – percussion on "No Big Deal"
• "Night Train" Clemens, Philip Walker, Tony Mathews – backing vocals on "So Many Women, So Little Time"

References

1. "Bad Influence - Robert Cray, Robert Cray Band | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
2. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Robert Cray". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958.
3. Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. p. 143. ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.
4. Christgau, Robert (January 24, 1984). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved April 29, 2013.