"While his songs cover several genres, from country to blues to zydeco to rock, they’re grounded in an emotive voice and musical sensibility. Whether he’s funked up or strolling down a country lane, picking slide or blowing harp, Starke's playing has a yearning sweetness to it, a melodic heart that manages to sidestep the clichés of any genre through the immediacy of his feeling."

- CITY LINK, 4/12/00

Speak Me Girl From Immokalee Gentle Breeze No Trouble Doc Johnny Lee Blue Angel Stockbroker Took My Girl Roughed Up Tall Dark Stranger Midnight Drive Jaded Love - Full version! West Memphis

"...delightful. It opens with the title track, an upbeat acoustic strummer with a melancholy organ fill that provides the harmonic to Starke's smooth, dark baritone. Starke explores the high end of his voice on the countrified "Girl From Immokalee," with sideman Johnny B providing a light, swinging dobro accompaniment. Starke employs the sounds of zydeco on "No Troub Doc," which features the bouncy accordion squonk of Bob Taylor. "Midnight Drive" is a light rockabilly guitar jive with distorted flourishes."

"Over the course of the disc, Starke emerges as a musician willing to try his hand at just about anything: blues, country, rock, even bluegrass. The players -- who include Michael Cole on guitar, Jeff "Apt. Q258" Sipe on drums, and Count M'Butu on various percussion -- have played with jam bands such as Col. Bruce Hampton, Aquarium Rescue Unit, and the Allman Brothers."

- NEW TIMES, 3/9/00

Raiford Starke CD's are currently available at live performances.