On Friday, July 19, 2024, Alligator Records will release Good Intentions Gone Bad, the first release in three years from award-winning guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Chris Cain. Good Intentions Gone Bad is Cain's second Alligator album, and the 16th of his career. It will be available on CD, red vinyl LP, and at all digital services.
On Good Intentions Gone Bad, Cain delivers thirteen lyrically fresh original songs, seven of which add a swinging horn section to the mix. The album was produced by Christoffer “Kid” Andersen (of Rick Estrin & The Nightcats) at his famous Greaseland USA studio in San Jose, California. Good Intentions Gone Bad is, Cain says, “the best album I’ve ever made, thanks to Kid.” With Cain leading the charge on guitar, the band delivers top-shelf performances on every track. From the humorous, true-to-life title track to the epic, slow-burning Waiting For The Sun To Rise to the Memphis soul-inspired Thankful (featuring a shared vocal with Cain’s labelmate, Tommy Castro), the new album finds Cain operating at the absolute peak of his powers, with Andersen pushing him to new heights every step of the way.
With more than three decades of touring and fifteen previous albums under his belt, Cain, once known as "one of the greatest guitarists you’ve never heard," is now celebrated by fans and fellow musicians alike as being among the blues’ most talented and exciting players. His original songs overflow with surprising hooks and feature razor-sharp lyrics that are moving and humorously insightful. With his powerful, soul man’s voice and his inventive guitar work—inspired by Grant Green and Wes Montgomery as much as by B.B. King and Albert King—Cain’s talents are unparalleled in the blues world. Living Blues says Cain is currently “turning out the best work of his career.”
“I’m so proud of this record,” says Cain. “I know I’ve never sung or played better. Kid’s ideas, the vibe he created...he makes you better while having a great time. This album is the logical next step after (his debut Alligator release) Raisin’ Cain. Everything I hoped for doubled.”
Today, Monday, May 20, Cain premieres the new video for his original song, Fear Is My New Roommate. Watch below.
Chris Cain was born in San Jose, California in 1955. His parents were huge music fans and shared their love of blues, jazz and popular songs with Chris. His African American father and Greek mother had a huge, shared record collection, which fascinated Chris from an early age. Chris was three years old when his father first took him to see B.B. King. His father gave him his first guitar at age eight and Chris learned lick after lick, song after song. He’d listen to his father’s records over and over until the music had seeped into his soul.
Cain formed his first band in 1986, and, in hopes of getting more gigs, released his first album, Late Night City Blues, on the locally-based Blue Rock’It label. Almost immediately, everything changed. Booking agents came calling and Chris began touring Europe. The album received four W.C. Handy Award nominations (now the Blues Music Awards) and the offers to perform kept rolling in.
With his 2021 Alligator Records debut album, Raisin’ Cain, Cain’s star began to rise even higher. Press, radio and the public all agreed that Cain was, as Blues Rock Review stated, “a classic, sophisticated, soulful virtuoso...He seamlessly combines blues, jazz, funk, and soul.” Cain received four 2022 Blues Music Award nominations, including for Album Of The Year and Best Guitarist.
On his recordings and on stage, Cain plays his beloved Gibson ES 335 guitar named Melba that he’s had since 1990, and plugs it into his equally beloved Music Man RD 112 amp that he’s had since 1987. Melba, well known among Cain’s most ardent fans, is prominently featured in the new book, Gibson ES Believers, part of the Vic DuPra Believers Series.
Cain has toured all over North America and made repeated trips around the world. He’s performed at the Chicago Blues Festival, The Doheny Blues Festival, The Philadelphia Blues Festival, The Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland, and many others. He’s played concerts and festivals (and often taught workshops) in Argentina, Uruguay, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Ukraine, and more.
Now, with Good Intentions Gone Bad, Cain will find his largest audience yet, as his good musical intentions continue to pay off. According to Kid Andersen, there’s no better blues player working today. “Chris Cain is the rarity whose blues prowess is so undeniable that he has gained everyone’s approval. Ask any of your favorite guitar players who they think are the greatest living masters of the instrument, chances are they will all have Chris Cain at the very top of their list.”
