CD Review: Delbert McClinton "Live" (New West)

Delbert McClinton "Live" (New West)

This is a terrific introduction to Delbert McClinton's Texas honky-tonk R&B 
(heavy on the 'B'), a musical brew that comes to life in concert. Not only 
does the double-disc set survey the length of McClinton's career, but the 
singer and his band are thoroughly in the groove, and the appreciative 
Norwegian Bergen Blues Festival audience spurs them to great heights. 
Originally broadcast on radio, a post-show review made it clear that the 
engineers had captured the punch of a live concert on tape, and that the 
confluence of a great night for the singer, songs, band and recording would 
make for a very special release.

The song list includes several staples from McClinton's live set, including 
his own "B Movie Boxcar Blues" (popularly known from the Blues Brothers 1978 
cover), his first chart success, 1980's "Giving It Up For Your Love," and a 
moving rendition of Otis Redding's "I've Got Dreams to Remember." While five 
of this album's tracks were included on McClinton's 1989 concert release, 
"Live From Austin," they're concert staples for a good reason: each is meaty 
enough to stand up to reinterpretation, night-after-night and 
year-after-year.

Even better, the chestnuts find new context in a set that includes recent 
material like the Mexicali flavored "When Rita Leaves" and horn-charged 
"Livin' It Down" from 2001's "Nothing Personal" LP, and "Smooth Talk" and 
"New York City" from 2002's "Room to Breathe." The set is fleshed out with 
well-selected blues covers such as Big Joe Turner's steamy "Rebecca, 
Rebecca" Billy Emerson's sassy "Little Fine Healthy Thing," and Glen Clark's 
optimistic "Leap of Faith." When McClinton steps outside the standard blues 
repertoire, for the Country-originated "Old Weakness (Comin' On Strong)," or 
the Bo Diddley beat of Mickey Jupp's "I'm With You," the band spices things 
with zesty horn charts and rollicking piano and guitar.

While this can't substitute for actually hearing McClinton live, it gives 
the uninitiated a good taste of what they've been missing.

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