LOS ANGELES, CA – Sugaray Rayford is pleased to announce 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” is available now. 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.
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.
The 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.
