On the heels of his soulful lead single “Bye Bye Blues,” celebrated blues singer and guitarist Larry McCray returns right this moment with “Shiny Facet,” the second launch from his upcoming album Heartbreak Metropolis, due out June 13 through KTBA Information, the label based by Joe Bonamassa. The mid-tempo burner—written by Josh Smith, Michael “Harvey” Worth, and Steve Shepherd—was initially penned for the late, nice Bobby “Blue” Bland, however sat unreleased for many years till producer Josh Smith introduced it to McCray, realizing he was the one to convey it to life.
With deep-in-the-pocket grooves, sly lyrical turns, and an irresistible call-and-response refrain, “Shiny Facet” leans into McCray’s means to ship grit with appeal and swagger. His weathered vocals journey a traditional blues development that’s equal elements powerful and joyful, whereas his signature guitar tone cuts by way of like a livewire. “Shiny Facet” exhibits McCray doing what he does greatest—delivering emotional fact with musical hearth.
Produced by Grammy-nominated duo Bonamassa and Smith, Heartbreak Metropolis is a daring, unfiltered assortment that finds McCray on the peak of his powers. The ten-track album fuses uncooked blues with classic soul, Southern grit, and a hard-won sense of pleasure, that includes standout contributions from Reese Wynans, Kirk Fletcher, and background vocalists Jade Macrae and Dannielle De Andrea, in addition to visitor guitar work from Bonamassa himself. The album was recorded at Sundown Sound in Hollywood and blended by Alan Hertz.
The undertaking was first launched with the lead single “Bye Bye Blues,” a finger-snapping throwback co-written with longtime collaborator Charlie Walmsley that paid homage to the soul icons of McCray’s youth—Johnnie Taylor, Bobby “Blue” Bland, and Little Milton amongst them.
Throughout Heartbreak Metropolis, McCray leans into themes of reflection, resilience, and redemption, drawing from many years of lived expertise on and off the stage. His voice—gravelly, weathered, and stuffed with soul—carries the burden of hard-earned knowledge, whereas his guitar work stays as fiery and fluid as ever. With gospel-tinged harmonies, taut grooves, and a band that matches him punch for punch, Heartbreak Metropolis reclaims the blues, reframing it by way of the lens of somebody who’s survived it, performed it, and lived it for greater than 4 many years.
The album follows McCray’s 2022 comeback Blues With out You, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Blues Chart and was named the #1 Blues Album of the Yr by Blues Rock Evaluation. The file marked a triumphant return after a seven-year hiatus and helped relaunch McCray onto competition levels and year-end best-of lists. In 2024, he was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Corridor of Fame, additional cementing his place among the many greats.
Born in Smackover, Arkansas, and raised in Saginaw, Michigan, McCray developed a guitar fashion that blends the electrical hearth of Hendrix with the soul of B.B. King and the Southern swing of the Allman Brothers. He was the primary artist signed to Virgin Information’ Level Clean imprint within the late ’80s and went on to launch a collection of genre-defining albums, together with Ambition, Delta Hurricane, and Born to Play the Blues. Over his storied profession, McCray has shared the stage with B.B. King, Buddy Man, Albert King, the Allman Brothers, Joe Walsh, Jonny Lang, and lots of extra.
“Larry McCray is a legend,” shares Joe Bonamassa. “We now have recognized that for 30 years. He’s the final of the nice blues shouters from the Rust Belt. Within the spirit of BB King, Luther Allison, and Little Milton, Larry is among the many greats. It’s now as much as the world to rediscover him. He has been right here all alongside.”
Heartbreak Metropolis by Larry McCray
1. Strive To Be A Good Man
2. Heartbreak Metropolis
3. Bye Bye Blues
4. Shiny Facet
5. The whole lot Falls On Me
6. I Know What I’ve Performed (feat. Joe Bonamassa)
7. Hold On Loving My Child (feat. Kirk Fletcher & Josh Smith)
8. Hangman
9. Cease Your Crying
10. Loopy World
Tour Dates
Could 24 – Burton, MI – Burton Rock & Blues Pageant
August 24 – Marshfield, MA – North River Blues Fest
September 15-21 – Seattle, WA – Conserving the Blues Alive at Sea Alaska
Devon Allman’s Blues Summit Tour
August 7 – Baton Rouge, LA – Elevating Cane’s River Middle
August 8 – Lake Charles, LA – The Rosa Hart Theatre
August 9 – Pensacola, FL – Saenger Theater
August 10 – Montgomery, AL – Montgomery Performing Arts Middle
August 12 – Nashville, TN – Fogg St Garden Membership
August 13 – Union Corridor, VA – The Coves
August 14 – Hopewell, VA – The Beacon Theatre
August 15 – Norfolk, CT – Infinity Music Corridor
August 16 – Jordan, NY – Kegs Canalside
August 17 – Kingston, NY – Ulster Performing Arts Middle
August 20 – Atlantic Metropolis, NJ – Mardi Gras AC @ Kennedy Plaza
August 21 – Cranston, RI – The Park Theatre
August 23 – Nashua, NH – Nashua Middle for the Arts
September 4 – Phoenix, AZ – MIM
September 5 – Las Vegas, NV – Huge Blues Bender
September 6 – San Juan Capistrano, CA – Coach Home
September 9 – Santa Fe, NM – The Lensic
September 10 – Beaver Creek, CO – Vilar Performing Arts Middle
September 11 – Parker, CO – The Tempo Middle
September 12-13 – Telluride, CO – Telluride Blues & Brews Pageant
** Options Devon Allman, Jimmy Corridor, Larry McCray & Sierra Inexperienced
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About Larry McCray
Blues singer and guitarist Larry McCray was born in Magnolia, Arkansas, and raised in Saginaw, Michigan, the place he developed a searing guitar fashion and emotive voice that might earn him comparisons to the style’s greats. A pioneer of contemporary blues-rock, McCray helped form the style all through the ’90s with albums on Virgin’s Level Clean label and thru collaborations with legends like B.B. King, Albert King, and Buddy Man. After years of grinding it out on the street and surviving private struggles, McCray has emerged with a renewed sense of objective—and a voice that’s deeper, richer, and extra highly effective than ever. With Heartbreak Metropolis, he cements his standing as a timeless torchbearer of the blues.
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