Although he is known primarily as a roots musician, Texas music legend Delbert McClinton is an accomplished bluesman as well. A fine harp player and a soulful singer with an undeniable Lone Star twang, McClinton has played behind such larger-than-life figures as Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Chuck Berry.
The three-time Grammy Award winner - most recently taking home the "Best Contemporary Blues Album" Grammy for his 2005 album Cost of Living - works in a tried-and-true Texas musical tradition, mixing country, rock, soul, and blues into a unique and personal sound.
Delbert McClinton's Rocking The Boat
Rocking the Boat, a documentary film directed by Jay Curlee, is subtitled "A Musical Conversation & Journey" and that's exactly what it is, a journey through McClinton's lengthy career. Interviews with McClinton and friends are juxtaposed with musical performances, all put in the context of McClinton's annual Sandy Beaches Cruise.
Originally launched to help the Texas music legend make some money and pay some bills, McClinton tells of the cruise's bumpy start - they couldn't even give away tickets for the first cruise - but by 2006 (when the footage for this film was shot), the event had notched better than a dozen successful cruises.
The stories told by McClinton and friends are both priceless and funny: Delbert tells of his friendship with John Belushi and his influence on the formation of The Blues Brothers. He discusses his tax problems, memorable gigs, even why he became a musician in the first place. McClinton also talks about going independent, and winning his first Grammy Award.
My favorite is a tale of a New Year's Eve gig where McClinton wrangled a $350 guarantee out of the promoter, who dressed up a bowling avenue for their performance with potted plants. When the promoter couldn't be found after the show to collect their money, band members took off with the plants to be sure that they got paid.
A Musical Conversation & Journey
Rocking the Boat offers a wealth of performances by an impressive line-up of blues, soul, Zydeco, and roots-rock artists. Although some of the songs are cut off or intersected by interviews, there is enough uninterrupted music to satisfy any fan. Among the highlights of the film are performances by Rodney Crowell, Stephen Bruton, Tommy Castro, Marcia Ball, and Delbert himself, of course. It says something when a repeat customer, commenting about some of McClinton's more obscure musical guests, says "if Delbert says it's good stuff, we know it's going to be hot stuff!"
McClinton has always seemed ready to share the spotlight with deserving artists, and Rocking the Boat brims over with stellar musical performances. One can imagine Delbert loading his iPod with these songs - Stephen Bruton's "Right On Time," for instance, is a spry country-rocker with Bruton's expressive vocals and muscular rhythm guitar work. Bruton reels off a couple of short but strong solos with plenty of heat and no little passion.
Rodney Crowell offers a fine reading of his "Fate's Right Hand," singing with a talking blues styled delivery, the song's rocking soundtrack matched with intelligent lyrics and a pair of laser-focused, fiery guitar solos courtesy of Will Kimbrough.
McClinton's performance of the bluesy rocker "Shakey Ground" is appropriate to the singer's discussion of his tax troubles and other highs and lows of a lengthy career. Delbert's vocals display the world-weary fire of a performer who has scrambled over, through, and around every obstacle thrown in his way.
Blues On The Boat
Displaying his considerable six-string skills with the soul-blues romp "Wake-Up Call," Tommy Castro infuses the song with just enough jazzy jumpin' vibe to keep the boat rocking. Castro unleashes a stinging solo with hypnotic tone and elegance that puts showier fretburners to shame. Mingo Fishtrap - one of those obscure bands that McClinton has a knack for turning up - cranks a slice of engaging Latin-drenched soul-funk with heart-pounding percussion and bluesy vocals that had the audience on their feet and shaking their groove-things.
McClinton says something to the effect that watching Marcia Ball is like "watching the truth," and her performance on Randy Newman's "Louisiana 1927" is simply stunning. Ball's gorgeous vocals - she possesses one of the best voices in contemporary blues - deliver this tragic, gospel-tinged ballad of nature's fury that reminds of Hurricane Katrina's impact on New Orleans. Ball's beautiful piano work and the song's sparse instrumentation (with just a touch of horns) build to a rich, joyous finish.
With her cover of Tampa Red's "Let Me Play With Your Poodle," Ball shows her wild side, kicking out a raucous boogie-woogie blues with a cool rockin' sax, Jerry Lee-styled manic keyboard-bashing, and Pat Boyack's flying fingers burning up the strings of his guitar.
The Reverend's Bottom Line
Whether you're familiar with Delbert McClinton or any of the guests on his cruises, you can't go wrong with the Rocking the Boat DVD. The documentary film runs a respectable 113 minutes, and the DVD release includes another hour of bonus performances by artists like bluesman Whitey Johnson, whose funked-up "Memphis Woman" is a the sort of swaggering soul slobberknocker that only the Bluff City could produce. Johnson is striking in his stark white suit and dazzling red tie, cranking out icy guitar licks with his brilliant white guitar.
Bottom line: Rocking the Boat is well worth your time and money, and delivers more musical thrills and chills than just about anything else you'll find to drop twenty bucks down on these days. Led by Delbert McClinton's career-long example of putting the music first, each and every musician here stays true to their muse and deliver exciting, knock-em-down-and-drag-em-off-the-boat performances.
