Cost of Living

1	One of the Fortunate Few 2:47
2	Right to Be Wrong 2:41
3	The Part I Like Best 2:17
4	I'll Change My Style 2:36
5	Hammerhead Stew 2:53
6	Your Memory, Me, And the Blues 4:05
7	Dead Wrong 2:02
8	Down into Mexico 4:35
9	Kiss Her Once for Me 4:01
10	I Had a Real Good Time 2:27
11	Midnight Communion 4:10
12	Two Step Too 3:02
13	Alright by Me 3:11

Barnes & Noble

Clearly in an aging-gracefully mode, Delbert McClinton continues his hot streak with another heady brew of country, honky-tonk, roadhouse rock 'n' roll, and rhythm and blues. As usual, the folks populating Delbert's funky world are as colorful as the music is low-down. In the stomping, guitar-driven "One of the Fortunate Few," he draws a comical portrait of a high-maintenance woman that men find irresistible, mainly because her imagination is so vivid "she'd make you do things you never thought about and things you wouldn't want to admit." On "The Part I Like Best," McClinton waxes eloquent, over a brisk guitar-and-organ-fueled blues shuffle, about a better breed of gal. The churning, '50s-style R&B grinder "I'll Change My Style" -- about self-improvement in quest of love -- features a stuttering sax solo that would make King Curtis proud, whereas in the minimalist tear-jerker "Your Memory, Me and the Blues," Delbert's vocals are as soulful as they are subtle. Flavored by some evocative gut-string guitar solos and dramatic organ washes, the atmospheric story-song "Down into Mexico" tells the tragic tale of a Bonnie & Clyde–like couple whose tyranny meets a tragic end south of the border. From a somber honky-tonk tear-jerker about love denied ("Kiss Her Once for Me") to a rousing drinkin' song couched in gospel terms ("Midnight Communion") to a bit of Cajun spice in the rollicking "Two Step Too," nobody does it all better than Delbert McClinton. David McGee

All Music Guide

Cost of Living continues the astonishing run of Delbert McClinton recordings that have come along since the mid-'90s. While some would argue that McClinton has always been consistent, Cost of Living ranks up there with Keeper of the Flame, Plain from the Heart, and Jealous Kind. This set contains 13 tunes, the majority of which McClinton either wrote or co-wrote with old mates including Gary Nicholson, Glen Clark, and Al Anderson. The sounds here are tough, gritty Texas rhythm & blues, hard honky tonk blues, slippery acoustic country, and killer funky white boy Southern soul. While there isn't a weak tune in the bunch, there are some standouts, such as the streetwise stroll of "The Part I Like the Best"; the David Parker/Manuel Villa swamp R&B of "I'll Change My Style"; the utterly spooky tale of robbery and tragedy "Down into Mexico," and the ripped-heart ballads "Kiss Her Once for Me" and "Your Memory, Me, and the Blues." There's also the rollicking wide-open rocker "Dead Wrong." The sheer intensity and acumen of McClinton's delivery on these songs takes his reputation as one of the great R&B singers to an entirely new shelf. For McClinton fans, this will be a major cause to celebrate, for the uninitiated, this is as fine a place as any to start. It's authentic, full of heart, and so deep it's fathomless. Thom Jurek