McClinton Shows His Vocal Strengths

Even though Texas singer Delbert McClinton has been slogging it out on the club circuit for the better part of four decades, this wily veteran is still capable of mounting a stirring evening of gusty roots music when the mood strikes him, as was demonstrated at the House of Blues on Friday.

As a vocalist, McClinton is capable of both tough-as-nails stridence and smoldering soulfulness, and Friday’s performance was perfectly calibrated to explore both styles. On high-stepping shuffles and gritty, Memphis-flavored R&B; workouts such as “B Movie Box Car Blues,” McClinton let it rip with a full-throttled wail and frequently punctuated his phrases with a throaty shout or two. For ballads, he was more resourceful, relying on a brusque growl that recalled late period Van Morrison.

McClinton’s heavy reliance on cover tunes was both a blessing and a curse. He left out great self-penned songs like “Two More Bottles of Wine” yet turned in lively interpretations of Bob Marley’s “Stir It Up” and Al Green’s “Take Me to the River,” teasing out the yearning and salvation that lie at the emotional core of both songs.