iSound

Singer/songwriter/guitarist Clay McClinton’s musical sound is woven together with rawhide and hemp, barbwire and willow reed. It’s that eclectic sound born in Texas where honky tonk, Delta blues and soulful rock meld seamlessly. Clay’s music introduces “alternative country” to “contemporary blues,” and the two genres become fast friends. His new CD, Son of a Gun, boasts plenty of gutsy, gritty lyrics laid on a strong musical bed. “The Man I Wanna Be,” is an inward-looking, country conversational tune with a haunting melody. Clay moves from there to the Texas romp of “Worn Down To The Bone,” and the two-stepping lost-love tune, “Missing You,” which is one of two songs on the album that he co-wrote with his dad, Delbert McClinton. Delbert provides backup vocals on “Missing You” and also co-wrote “Howlin’ at the Moon.” “This album has a lot more co-writes than my first one,” Clay says. “I like writing by myself, and I have a lot of songs under my hat that I’ve written, but I’m...