World Premiere: Sugaray Rayford finds the “Invisible Soldier”

By Howard Dukes for SOUL TRACKS

I don’t know if Sugaray Rayford was a drill sergeant during his 10 years in the United States Marine Corps, but it would not be at all surprising if he was. At six feet, five inches tall, he has the stature that commands respect. The singing career that he has developed in the years since he left the Corps reveals that the Tyler, Tx. native also possesses a vocal instrument that commands attention.

And Rayford has commanded plenty of attention, first as vocalist for the LA based band The Mannish Boys and then launching his solo career with the album Blind Alley, released in 2010. Rayford and producer/songwriter Eric Corne teamed up to release the Grammy nominated album Somebody Save Me in 2019, and the two returned to the studio to record a new project. That album drops in 2022, but Rayford dropped a musical snack to whet the appetites of soul, blues and Southern soul fans in the form of the tune “Invisible Soldier.”

Over the years, Rayford has perfected the technique of inserting socially relevant, provocative and insightful messages into the songs that are infectious and downright funky, and he continues that trend with the rollicking “Invisible Soldier.” This song deals with the thoughts that lay dormant in our minds during the day but that emerge and wreak havoc at night or whenever we cannot be otherwise preoccupied. “Invisible Soldier” is about the hidden battles that people fight while presenting a calm image to the world.

It’s the kind of thing that a military man would know about. You might even say that “Invisible Soldier” is a musical expression of the battles that our troops fight long after the guns fall silent. Check out the World Premiere of Sugaray Rayford’s “Invisible Soldier” here, and thanks for your service, Marine.