Search - Mighty Sam Mcclain :: Give It Up To Love (XRCD)

It will move you.

09/03/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album marks the extraordinary return of one of the great voices of the blues. In the cover notes and in every single song, you will understand why he "gave it all up" for the love of the blues. This album will lead you to great joy, move you to tears, and then back again. Mighty Sam has since produced three other great albums, but you just cannot miss this one."

Best male blues singer of all time

04/17/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow! What an amazingly powerful voice McClain has. Makes the current trend of blues teen upstarts and young guns sound like slightly slower versions of N'Sync, Britney Spears or Destiny's Child. If anyone listens to this cd and doubts that Mighty Sam has had some woes to overcome in his life, they probably also believe the earth is flat.These are all exceptionally well-crafted, slower blues numbers with a significant gospel and soul influence, along with a touch of R&B to boot. More than most recent blues performers, McClain focuses on the vocals a bit more than the instruments. As a blues fan who started out listening to hard rock a few decades ago and who still prefers guitar-oriented music, I wasn't sure how well I would like this CD when I first purchased it, but even though the blues guitar work is a bit sparing, it is a very subtley satisifying compliment to the piano, horns and Sam's great singing. Don't be put off by the slightly gospelish and soulful sound either - this still comes across as a blues album first and foremost. The highlight of this album is the title track. I first heard this album as a demo cd at a car stereo dealer and I liked Give It Up to Love so much I searched every record store in town until I found it. I have used this particular song to test several stereos and its highs, lows, great vocals and build up to a enlightening crescendo makes it a perfect test cd. In fact, when I was comparing compact stereos at several national retailers for a stereo for my office, two pimply-faced, teenage Blink 182 fans working as sales assistants liked this song so much they wrote down the name of the artist and the album for a future acquisition; one of these kids wasn't even working in the stereo systems department and just wandered over from another part of the store to inquire about the song.All in all, this is an outstanding album that features such great singing and songwriting that it is timeless. Mighty Sam deserves far more acclaim at this point in time than some of the so-called blues legends who have been merely going through the motions for the last fifteen years or so; I hope one day soon Sam receives the recognition that he deserves."

One of the finest !!!

Max-Factor | Los Angeles, CA USA | 07/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sam McClain has a great voice for the blues. Every track is performed with conviction and each one is a success. Excellent studio recording. Instruments are played with great skill. McClain operates at a different level than other blues artists. His voice, the lyrics and the band all come together to move you at the gut level.



I don't know why this disk is hard to find. There should be millions of copies selling and hundred of reviews with 5 stars. Even the $30 JVC label has been out for sometime.



I strongly recommend it even if you don't like the blues. After your first listening sesion you will be happy that you made your purchase."