| Live - Delbert McClinton | |
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Reviewed by Matt Bjorke
Delbert McClinton has been performing songs for so long that he's had many "best of" collections and has had hit singles on the pop, rock, country, and blues charts. He's won many awards with the most recent being a "Best Blues Album" Grammy Award for his great 2001 "Nothing Personal" album. In 2002 Delbert released "Room To Breathe" which was another step in the direction of Blues Rock. It too was nominated for a Grammy. Now, in 2003, Delbert has chosen to release a new live recording simply titled "Delbert McClinton: Live." The album was recorded in Norway and wasn't originally gonna be released as an album in the United States. That all changed when Delbert and his label New West Records found the recording to be too good not to release.
Opening up the album is a great song that's been recorded by many country singers including Patty Loveless. "Old Weakness (Comin' On Strong)" is a cool blues rocker that tells a story of a man who has a weakness for that one person he cannot get out of his mind. What a great way to open up the album. From his 1997 CD, One of The Fortunate Few, the song was co-written by Bob DiPiero and Gary Nicholson.
"Leap Of Faith" is a delta blues rocker that sounds really good. Written by Guy Clark and Gary Nicholson, "Leap Of Faith" is a song that tells of a man who decides that he needs to get out of his house and forget about the woman that "done him wrong" saying "Sometimes all it takes is a leap of faith." The melody and passionate vocals remind me of something that Little Richard may have done in years gone by. This one's also from his Fortunate Few CD.
"I Wanna Thank You Baby" is one of Delbert's most well known songs and is a slice of heaven from the pen of Delbert himself. This passionate blues rocker is a great showcase of Delbert's wonderful band as well as his own scratchy and distinctive soulful vocals. This is from his Best of Delbert McClinton CD from 1989.
"Smooth Talk" is from Delbert's Room To Breathe CD and it is a wonderful jazz/blues rocker that features the great horn work of Delbert's band. The lyrics tell the listener to heed his advice and not be suckered into buying anything that is "sold" on TV. "Smooth Talk" simply rocks in the live version much better than it did on the studio album. Delbert wrote this with Gary Nicholson.
"Maybe Someday Baby" is one of Delbert's older songs. It comes from his fine 1978 release Second Wind. On this track we great a lengthy solo by Delbert on that harmonica that he made famous. He is the man who taught John Lennon in the 50's how to play the harp, so it's great to hear a live song feature Delbert's great harp playing. The lyrics are typical blues rock fare but along with the strong melody, fit the mood of the song and album.
"Don't Want To Love You" showcases the strong vocalist that Delbert is. While he's primarily a rocking uptempo vocalist, he can sing and write a hell of a ballad too. "Don't Want To Love You" is a testament to that gives us another side to the diversity that has helped keep Delbert vibrant and relevant in the new millennium as a recording artist. The song was written by Delbert with Billy Lawson.
Fans of Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood will recogonize the great "Squeeze Me In." This is a great song about how life gets going so much that a couple must make room in their schedules just to see each other. It is cool to hear this barnburner live. From Delbert's Nothing Personal album, the song was written Gary Nicholson (It also was recorded by Lee Roy Parnell on his We All Get Lucky Some Times CD.
"Goin' Back To Louisiana" is a sweet dose of country blues recorded in the grand style of the delta blues. Recorded for his 1980 album (The Jealous Kind) on the Muscle Shoals Sound/Capitol label, the song is one of the highlights of this album.
"When Rita Leaves" isn't as much a blues song as it is a traditional country ballad. It is a honky tonk song that's sure to be covered by some country artist in the future and here it serves as a delicious piece of ear candy that breaks up the uptempo songs nicely.
"Givin' It Up For Your Love" was Delbert's first hit as a solo artist. Recorded for The Jealous Kind, the album featured the Muscle Shoals rhythm section on it and this hit song has a horn drenched blues rock sound to it that makes the new rendition sound as vibrant and fresh as the original hit from 1980 did.
Delbert McClinton is a wonderful artist. He's long been a favorite of other recording artists and while he took most of the 1980's off as a recording artist, Delbert has been in revival of sorts since his Grammy winning album of 2001. Long known as a great live act, Delbert McClinton proves it to all who were ever skeptical of his talent. He isn't a pro tools creation or some confection made up by a record label. Delbert McClinton is one of America's best artists and hopefully he continues to garner critical and commercial success. Delbert McClinton Live is sure to continue that trend.
Song List:
Disc One:
Disc Two:
Album cover used with permission of New West Records.
Audio clips courtesy of Delbert McClinton' Official Website.
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