PopMatters Premieres The Revelator by Sugaray Rayford

Sugaray Rayford Introduces the "The Revelator (premiere)

Jedd Beaudoin

24 Jan 2019

Photo: Suzan Jones

"The Revelator" is the lead cut from Somebody Save Me, the new release from Texas-born soul/blues singer Sugarray Rayford out March 1 on Forty Below Records.

Drawing inspiration from the likes of Otis Redding, Teddy Pendergrass, and Muddy Waters, Rayford remains very much his own artist. The song marries the funky soulfulness of classic R&B records while acknowledging contemporary sensibilities. All this while Rayford delivers a vocal performance in which he boasts and brags like a true badass. A badass who, by the way, served in the Marines and cut his musical teeth singing and playing drums in church.

How does Rayford sum up the world he introduces to in "The Revelator"? He cites one of the lines from the tune itself, "I'm a freak of nature / I ain't no honey bee." He adds, "That says it all."