Clint Morgan self-titled his latest album “Troublemaker,” and once again hit the nail on the head. Jam-packed with his own off-center but dead-on view of life and music (“They Put a Walmart on the Farm,” “Hangman Woman”) Morgan threw in a few unique takes on old faithfuls like “Go Down Moses” and a mashup of “Big River” (Johnny Cash) and “What’d I Say” (Ray Charles) and a satire of Shel Silverstein, to let loose a truly entertaining album. I mean, CD guests artists include the McCrary Sisters and Kinky Friedman; Who else has that kind of a party list?

Born and raised on a farm in rural Washington State, Morgan’s distant roots spread back to southern Appalachia, where a great-great aunt was AP Carter’s great grandma. Himself an accomplished blues and boogie-woogie piano player, Morgan produced a Blues Music Award-nominated album and is a volunteer instructor/performer at the Pinetop Perkins Foundation Workshops in Clarksdale, MS.

All that notwithstanding, however, Clint Morgan’s writing stands with the best, whether serious or satirical. With a keen eye for finding the truth in situations we rarely stop to question, Morgan cuts to the important stuff with heart and humor.

Morgan told Elmore a bit about “Too Rich to Sing the Blues” (we’ve seen that, plus too inexperienced or too lucky to sing the blues).

“This is my way of poking a little fun at people singing blues music that really have no life experience in much of what blues is all about. Here’s a guy that is finally figuring out that he has no personal stake in what much of the blues—or roots/folk music in general, for that matter—is trying to say. This isn’t to say he doesn’t love the music, it’s just to say there may be a bit of personal connection that is missing. Which to me is kinda sad and funny at the same time.”

The one misstep we see in this album is the record label, Lost Cause Records. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Troublemaker runs with a pack: co-produced by Grammy-award winning producer Kevin McKendree and Clint Morgan, the album features collaborations with Blues Music Award winners Watermelon Slim, Bob Margolin, and Jonn Del Toro Richardson, as alt-country icon Kinky Friedman and Americana gospel greats The McCrary Sisters.

Featured musicians on Troublemaker include pianist/organist Kevin McKendree (Brian Setzer, Delbert McClinton); guitarist Doug Lancio (John Hiatt, Patti Griffin); bassist David Santos (John Fogerty); drummer Kenneth Blevins (John Hiatt, Don Williams); blues harmonica virtuoso Bob Corritore; violinist Jimmy Stewart; background singer Wendy Moten; and multi-instrumentalist Jim Hoke, whose credits include a virtual Who’s Who of American music.

Learn more about Clint Morgan HERE
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Order Troublemaker July 16 HERE or HERE