RODNEY CROWELL, the talented Houston-born songwriter who began recording in the late seventies, has followed an uneven road to success. At times he’s sounded adrift or bored, trapped by the “progressive country” parameters he imposed on himself. But starting in 2001, something clicked. First came The Houston Kid, followed by Fate’s Right Hand and now The Outsider (Columbia), and with them, Crowell has an assured new voice. Pointed and witty, his latest album shuns the hokey arrangements from his early work in favor of a solid, no-frills rock and roll base. His former mentor Emmylou Harris tugs him back to old Nashville for her contributions, but overall the album is remarkably focused. Most people are slacking off at this point in their careers. Crowell sounds as if he’s just getting started. Reviewed by Jeff McCord
“Dependable” is a good word for DELBERT MCCLINTON’s music. After thirty years and eighteen albums, there aren’t a whole lot of surprises; few artists have stuck so tenaciously to their guns. Here’s why: Mc-Clinton’s seamless splicing of blues, rock and roll, and country, driven by a fixation with roadhouse R&B, is without peer. Lubbock-born and Fort Worth- raised, McClinton was first noticed for his formidable harmonica skills, then for his powerhouse vocals, and finally, for his songwriting acumen. You get all three on Cost of Living (New West). Brokenhearted from the git-go, the funny and bittersweet “One of the Fortunate Few” kicks things off, then leads into the redneck-wry “Right to Be Wrong.” There’s a Jimmy Reed cover and even a soulful slow dance, “Your Memory, Me, and the Blues,” which you have to love for the title alone. Reviewed by Jeff McCord
If you were of the first to latch on to Archie Bell and the Drells’ “Tighten Up” back in 1968, you probably bought the 45 on the tiny Ovide label. When the single took off, Atlantic Records stepped in, and thanks in no small part to the sale of Archie Bell’s contract, Ovide had a good run until 1972. Helmed by Houston deejay Skipper Lee Frazier, the label featured tight horn-and-organ-driven funk arrangements kept lean by even tighter budgets, and the seventeen tracks collected on FUNKY FUNKY HOUSTON (Funky Delicacies; tuffcity.com) are all rare gems. The house band was the TSU Tornados, the same (uncredited) group that backed Bell on “Tighten Up,” and numerous other funk groups rounded out the roster. Frazier never sought national distribution for the label, which eventually did him in, but, man, was it fun while it lasted. Reviewed by Jeff McCord
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