MIGHTY SAM MCCLAIN “Betcha Didn’t Know” Mighty Music – 102 The jam-packed horn sound underlying Mighty Sam McClain’s soulful testifying has always distinguished his music from that of other soul-blues artists. That unique combination of sound and voice is still at the core of his music on Betcha Didn’t Know, even though it’s been six years since his last release. Surrounded by the punch of the Mighty Horns, co-producer Pat Herlehy’s divers guitar styles, and the keyboard work of Michael Sucher and Jim MacDougall, McClain delivers 13 originals that broadcast messages of love, acceptance, repentance, and honesty. From the horn blast at the start of “Can’t Stop The Funk” McClain dances the song through a funky landscape of wah-wah guitars and Sly Stone keys. “Lift Me Up” follows, with McClain’s pleas for redemption backed by Caleb Bronz’s drums. Ballads “Just Wanna Be,” “My Love Will Never Die,” and “Hold On to Your Dream” affirm soul-to-soul love and self-respect. On the title cut, Herlehy’s jazzy Wes Montgomery octave guitar style flirts with McClain’s voice, while “What You Want Me To Do” melds a John Lee Hooker boogie to a horn-filled, Memphis-soul bridge. On three tracks, McClain successfully ties his soul stylings to hip-hop/contemporary R&B accents. “Never Go Away” starts as a lush ballad with McClain on bent knee to his love, but by mid-song he’s added a rap by Jesse D. Lannoo, whose rhymes show that McClain’s message of home can beat with a youthful pulse. The same partnership works on “Things Ain’t What They Used To Be” and “Free,” where Lannoo raps about society’s ills. The marriage of soul and hip-hop works because both singers cover the same topics- tears and pain, love and hope. McClain’s deep spiritual commitment is evident in his from-the-heart delivery on the album’s final track, “Be Ready.” Backed by the Funky Divas of Gospel, he finishes with a stirring house-of-worship experience. -Art Tipaldi October/November 2009