From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tall, Dark, & Handsome
Studio album by
Delbert McClinton and Self-Made Men + Dana
ReleasedJuly 26, 2019 (2019-07-26)
StudioThe Rock House ( Franklin, TN)
Genre Blues
Length40:00
LabelHot Shot Records
Producer
Delbert McClinton chronology
Prick of the Litter
(2017)
Tall, Dark, & Handsome
(2019)
Outdated Emotion
(2022)

Tall, Dark, & Handsome is a studio album by American blues musician Delbert McClinton and his second album with Self-Made Men. It was released on July 26, 2019, through Hot Shot Records with distribution via Thirty Tigers/ The Orchard. Recording sessions took place at The Rock House in Franklin, Tennessee. Production was handled by Bob Britt, Kevin McKendree, and McClinton himself. It features saxophone player Dana Robbins, who contributed to three of the fourteen tracks on the album and also credited on the album's cover.

The album peaked at number 62 on the Billboard Top Album Sales, number 51 on the Top Current Album Sales, number 15 on the Independent Albums, and topped the Blues Albums chart in the United States.

At the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, the album won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
All About Jazz [2]
AllMusic [3]
American Songwriter [4]
The Austin Chronicle [5]

Tall, Dark, & Handsome was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 79, based on five reviews. [1]

Reid Jowers of The Austin Chronicle wrote: "picking up both pace and vigor after Prick of the Litter, McClinton finds a Second Wind going all the way back to 1978, his voice still ragged but right and, here, full of piss and vinegar". [5] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated: "where Prick of the Litter settled into a mellow vibe, Tall, Dark, And Handsome is bold and restless, finding McClinton trying on all manner of blues for size". [3] Hal Horowitz of American Songwriter wrote: "in other words, it's McClinton as we've come to know and love him, cranking out another solid disc of Americana, Delbert-style. It sounds inspired and freewheeling, like he's just getting started. And considering his age and extensive resume, that's quite a compliment". [4]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Mr. Smith"4:03
2."If I Hock My Guitar"
  • McClinton
  • Britt
  • Michael G. Joyce
2:07
3."No Chicken on the Bone"
  • McClinton
  • Britt
  • Dennis Wage
3:07
4."Let's Get Down Like We Used To"
3:03
5."Gone to Mexico"McClinton2:16
6."Lulu"
  • McClinton
  • Britt
  • McKendree
3:04
7."Loud Mouth"
  • McClinton
  • Britt
  • Joyce
3:06
8."Down in the Mouth"McClinton2:07
9."Ruby & Jules"
  • McClinton
  • Britt
  • Wage
3:00
10."Any Other Way"
  • McClinton
  • Britt
  • McKendree
3:22
11."A Fool Like Me"McClinton3:06
12."Can't Get Up"
  • McClinton
  • Britt
  • Joyce
2:35
13."Temporarily Insane"
  • McClinton
  • Britt
  • Joyce
4:04
14."A Poem"
  • McClinton
  • Britt
  • McKendree
1:00
Total length:40:00

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2019) Peak
position
US Top Album Sales ( Billboard) [6] 62
US Independent Albums ( Billboard) [7] 15
US Top Blues Albums ( Billboard) [8] 1

References

  1. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Tall, Dark, And Handsome – Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  2. ^ Collette, Doug (August 3, 2019). "Delbert McClinton: Tall, Dark & Handsome album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Delbert McClinton – Tall, Dark, And Handsome Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Horowitz, Hal (July 22, 2019). "Delbert McClinton and Self-Made Men + Dana: Tall, Dark & Handsome". American Songwriter. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Jowers, Reid (August 16, 2019). "Delbert McClinton & Self-Made Men + Dana: Tall, Dark, & Handsome Album Review". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  6. ^ "Delbert McClinton Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  7. ^ "Delbert McClinton Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  8. ^ "Delbert McClinton Chart History (Top Blues Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2023.

External links