Never Been Rocked Enough

by

Delbert McClinton

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Never Been Rocked Enough is one of those cd's that I just can't get enough of. I have to force myself not to play it to often for fear of wearing it out. I've read that Delbert is considered to be a musicians musician and has long been appreciated in the field while never receiving the fan base and recognition he most certainly deserves. I can't understand this. Every song on this cd rocks. The songs and Delbert's voice seems to speak to the average person and definitely to the average woman. Delbert is a gifted song writer, writing Cease and Desist, Never Been Rocked Enough and Why Me? on this cd. He also does great cover versions of songs by other writers as Have a Little Faith in Me by John Hiatt.

On Rocked Enough he teams with Francine Reed (Lyle Lovett's backup singer and an excellent blues musician on her own) to sing I Used to Worry. Those of us of a certain age have to appreciate the irony of these lyrics. Bonnie Raitt guests on two of the songs Good Man, Good woman which received some radio air play and playing slide on Everytime I Roll the Dice. Melissa Etheridge and Tom Petty both make guest appearances as background vocalists.

Delbert falls somewhere in the blues, country, rock genre. Its hard to pin him down exactly, but easy to know a Delbert song when you hear it. Fans of delta and Chicago blues may not appreciate his style.

This CD is a good CD, but, depending on the cut, a little (or a lot) too R&B, reggae, cross-over pop, or rock sounding for my taste. I was looking for a good, solid blues album by McClinton. After a couple of listens, I don't consider this to be it, despite other customer reviews by blues afficionados who apparently do (and whose reviews influenced my decision to give it a whirl). Of the 11 tracks, I count 3, or maybe 4, tops, that have a true blues sound, and, even then, 2 of them are really "blues light." Of the 3 or 4, "Blues as Blues Can Get" is really enjoyable -- with Paul Shaffer playing Wurlitzer. Again, it's a good CD, and McClinton's lyrics are often clever and playful, but if you're looking for what I was looking for, I'd skip this one.