Delbert McClinton (courtesy photo) |
Ultimately, the biggest difference between these two soulful belters - aside from the fact that one hails from Belfast, Ireland, and the other from Lubbock, Texas - is that Morrison has been a spiritual and philosophical adventurer, a complex brooder, while McClinton rarely strays from his Texas roadhouse roots. As a result, McClinton has never approached the transcendent peaks of Morrison's defining records, but he has also avoided the watery depths of Van's more languid, new-agey digressions.
DELBERT MCCLINTON with Seth James 8pm Friday, November 21 $35 Gruene Hall 1281 Gruene Rd., New Braunfels 830-629-5077 |
McClinton's like a sturdy oak tree. He doesn't call attention to himself, and it's easy to take his no-frills mastery for granted. But over a career that's lasted nearly half a century, he has outlasted plenty of pop saplings. •