Artist:     David Clayton-Thomas

Album:     Say Somethin’

Label:     Linus Entertainment

Release Date:     3.20.20

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An odd opener for such an overtly political and soulful album as Say Somethin’, the autobiographical “Burwash” talks of David Clayton-Thomas’ troubled youth, when he seemed destined to a lifetime behind bars. A gritty, stark piece of acoustic prison blues from the iconic voice for Blood, Sweat and Tears, it’s ultimately an uplifting tale told in a hoary, conversational style, with Clayton-Thomas relying on music to escape a never-ending cycle of incarceration.

Not everyone is so lucky, as “The System” makes abundantly clear. With soft, glowing electric keyboard backing Clayton-Thomas’ grandfatherly vocals, the song—so warm and sincere—follows “Burwash,” which mirrors the rough, spare quality of Johnny Cash’s later recordings, with a sharp critique of a broken American justice system and sympathy for those caught in its clutches. Pleading for a return to what he sees as the sane and sage leadership of the previous U.S. Presidential administration, Clayton-Thomas pens a heartfelt message in the gospel uprising of “Dear Mr. Obama” that longs for a restoration of normalcy in the White House. In “The Circus,” a carnivalesque, shambolic waltz seems appropriate for a well-articulated, if somewhat sardonic, summation of the madness that’s gripped Washington D.C. in recent years, whereas “God’s Country” revives the folk traditions of Pete Seeger and the like with more lush instrumentation to beautifully express Clayton-Thomas’ patriotic love of his native Canada.

Assuming the role of activist suits the charming Clayton-Thomas, as he wraps a velvet glove of warm folk-rock and soothing R&B tenderness around stinging socio-political commentary on Say Somethin’. On occasion, though, his anger seems on the verge of boiling over, especially when seething organ slowly turns up the heat in “Never Again,” which rails against gun violence. Turning his attention to immigration in “A Bright Shining City,” Clayton-Thomas argues passionately for a more humane approach to the issue in rolling with the feathery punches of mellow ’70s rock.

A lion in winter, sounding older and wiser, Clayton-Thomas can still roar when his familiar pipes are needed.

—Peter Lindblad