Mighty Sam McClain | Too Much Jesus Not Enough Whiskey | Review

Article Contributed by Lauren Ward | Published on Friday, November 23, 2012

46 years after his first recorded Success, Mighty Sam McClain continues to bring the funk, the soul and the ‘tude with his latest album, “Too Much Jesus (Not Enough Whiskey).” Along with the musical talents of his guitarist, Pat Herlehy, the duo creates rhythm and blues flowing through his songs with powerful messages behind each.Sticking true to the name of the album, a religious theme underlies several songs. This comes as no surprise to his fans as Sam grew up in Louisiana singing Gospel  in his Mother’s church by age 5. His hardships and triumphs through his child and adulthood come together beautifully to create his latest work. In an interview with Soul Express of November 2012, McClain explained the reasoning for the album title, “I used to drink heavily, before I stopped.  After that some of my friends stopped coming around.  All they wanted was their drink, and it just lit up in my head that when I quit drinking I started talking about Jesus.  I said ‘that sounds just like a song’ (laughing).” “Too Much Jesus (Not Enough Whiskey)” tells the fans a story of hard times such as Pat Herlehy’s divorce after 19 years of marriage, to flourishing relationships of love in, “Rock My Soul.”Other artists such as Scott Shetler on the saxophone and the female vocals of Concetta complete the album into Mighty Sam McClain’s first ever studio recorded album. Straying away from the usual recordings of live shows, “Too Much Jesus (Not Enough Whiskey),” is years in the making. The time and effort put forth in the album shines through. McClain has been recognized throughout his entire career on a larger scale in Europe and Asia, which they call McClain, “The Soul of America.” With the smooth sounds and feel good funk of “Too Much Jesus (Not Enough Whiskey)”, Mighty Sam McClain will soon be turning heads right here in the US.