Soul is not as hot of a musical commodity these days as its wayward children dance and rap, but if it were, Mighty Sam McClain would be on top of the world. Regardless, his latest album, Journey, finds him at the top of his form, playing that old red-clay deep soul music with gutsy, unsurpassed vitality.
Sam McClain was born and raised in Louisiana back in 1943. When he sings about picking cotton in the fields, he's talking about his life, not some obscure history lesson. Gratefully, it was singing gospel with his mother's group that provided more of a direction to his life than modern day indenturehood. To make a long, fascinating story shorter, he first found himself singing lead vocals for R&B guitarist Little Melvin Underwood in the Sixties, and eventually releasing singles on his own later that decade, most famously a cover of Patsy Cline's "Sweet Dreams." Despite the success that musical gem and the singles that followed generated, it wasn't long before Sam was homeless; struggling to make a life on the streets. Fifteen hard, hard years of living and a lot of fuel for the songs that would come later. The happy ending to his story is that the songs did come later, and Mighty Sam McClain got another shot at the title. By the early Nineties, McClain was in New England creating a collection of soul albums for AudioQuest Records, including the 1998 release of Journey.
I know about precious water
I've carried it on my back
I know all about pickin' cotton
I've picked it and put it into a sack
Because I've been there
Because I've lived it
Because I know, I know, I know
The other side of the tracks
("Other Side of the Tracks")
The Living Blues wrote "Soul lives wherever Mighty Sam McClain hangs his hat!" And it's the "gospel truth." McClain's music may not be a currently popular genre, but it's full of everything rich and good that the soul tradition has to provide. He's got a big ten-piece band to back him, and they all have their moments in the sun. The horn section is impressive, whether it's trumpets trilling, tenor sax wailing, or trombone blaring. Plus, there's grand honky-tonk piano playing and fat, funky drums a-drumming and enough great blues guitar riffing to raise the spirit of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Not to mention Sam's rich baritone voice brooding, wailing, and whispering over the whole holy mess. "Journey continues the recorded legacy by the man many consider to be our greatest living soul singer...Mighty Sam McClain has created another sanctified blues masterpiece" (Anonymous). A masterpiece that infuses great gobs of gospel and a heavy touch of blues in its soulful, foot-stompin' mix. If you're fond of soul legends like Bobby Bland, Solomon Burke, O.V. Wright, and Otis Redding, consider Mighty Sam McClain their sweet soul brother. Of course, fans of Ronnie Earl, B.B. King, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Sounds of Blackness, Larry Howard, Glenn Kaiser, and even Homeboys' Adam Again, should check this out. It's the real deal, and it just gets better as it goes. In fact, the second half of the album is even stronger and gutsier than the first half.
As if creating an album of soaring soul weren't enough, Mighty Sam McClain has also packed his album with inspirational messages to stir your soul to soar. There are songs of love for his lady and his Lord, both of which are delivered with passion, pride, and power. But the songs that resonate most acutely are the autobiographies affirming faith in the midst of worldly suffering, like "Hangin' on the Cross (Between Heaven and the Blues):"
I didn't want to tell nobody about this pain Lord
I tried to keep it all, all to myself
But I tell y'all it's hard to do
When people keep lying to me
Now I'm hanging on the cross, yes, I'm hanging on the cross
Between Heaven and the blues
Now I promised God, I would never lose my faith
And now here I stand, I've got a question mark on my face
People are only human, they say
I guess that makes me human too.
Mighty Sam McClain's all-powerful belief in the Almighty God is the most evident aspect of this musical and spiritual journey. His love of the Lord is right out there in the open for everyone to take note--and take note they should. He's lived quite a life; he's played some mighty blues, and at 55 years of age, he's living with great vitality and vigor to tell the tale of a God who has blessed him and made His face to shine upon him. It's a journey well worth relating.
I woke up this morning, early with the risin' sun
I prayed to God, please let your will be done
Because I'm thankful, just to be alive,
Oh yes I am
And I wanna take this time to say
Oh thank You, Lord.
("Thank You")
Mighty Sam McClain's music is like a steam-engine bound for glory--you'll want to get onboard.
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Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Titi Ala'ilimaThe blues and the gospel have more to do with each other than most realize; Mighty Sam McClain has built his career upon that truth. It is still something I find difficult to grasp, so when I hear and read the lyrics to his latest album Journey, I am sometimes taken aback by the facility with which McClain reaches both poles. Extracted from the context of the album, some of these songs would be…Similar sounding releases
1988Janice Harrington / Kenn Lending Blues BandMagic
1994Larry HowardBright Side of the Blues
1996Sleepy RayWhere The Highway Turns
2002Van MorrisonDown the Road
2000Etta JamesMatriarch of the Blues
2002The Blind Boys of AlabamaHigher GroundMore from Mighty Sam McClain
1998Joy and Pain - Live in Europe
2002One More Bridge to Cross
1999Soul Survivor: The Best of Mighty Sam McClain
