(April 24, 2023) Former Tower of Power trombonist and Santana lead male vocalist Ray Greene is making new strides on his own with his anticipated album Stay, a disc that focuses on his love for soul music while digging deep into the varied stories about life and love. “Soul music is at the heart of this collection of songs,” he explains. “However, the record is also heavily influenced by artists and musicians from an array of different genres…elements of jazz improvisation, blues, gospel, pop and even reggae.”
Fresh out the gate comes “Shoulda Known Better,” a smooth R&B midtempo song defined by passionate crooning and dipped in a soulful gospel marinade. Greene approaches the song like Kem or Kenny Lattimore, but belts out the second half with thunderous ad-libs like a man devastated by scorching heartbreak. For those new to him, this is the perfect introduction to the vocal strength of Ray Greene, setting the trajectory for even more career breakouts to come.
Check out this First Listen of “Shoulda Known Better” and let us know what you think about it.
By J Matthew Cobb
Ray Greene – “Shoulda Known Better”
