Acquired Taste

Personnel: Delbert McClinton (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica); Kevin McKendree (guitar, keyboards); Stephen Bruton, Rob McNelley (guitar, background vocals); Dennis Taylor (saxophone); Lynn Williams, Tom Hambridge (drums); Michito Sánchez (percussion); Julia Waters, Maxine Willard Waters (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Krish Sharma.
Recording information: East Iris Studios, Nashville, TN; Fearless Recording, Nashville; Henson Studios, Los Angeles, CA.
Author: Poodie Locke.
Photographer: Heidi Ross.
ACQUIRED TASTE was produced by Don Was and recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles. He might seem a strange producer for McClinton, who has had a consistent "sound" for decades, despite his wide array of stylistic adventures. But Was is better than anybody who has produced his records since the late '70s: he understands that McClinton's voice is showing signs of age, and that that's not a bad thing. Using members of the singer's road band and some crack studio aces, Was adds some killer rhythmic touches in this 13-song set that runs the gamut. Ultimately, ACQUIRED TASTE is one of, if not the best, studio outing McClinton's issued this decade. If this album takes a spin or two to get acclimated to, it's well worth the investment.