# CD review: Glen Clark – You Tell Me 2019: Video, CD cover

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2019/07/10/cd-review-glen-clark-you-tell-me-2019-video-cd-cover/
- Published: 2019-07-10T22:16:44+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**“Sing us a song – you’re the piano man.” Eight words from Billy Joel, so simple
yet so haunting, have etched themselves into our collective memory. From Pinetop
Perkins to Ray Charles, Leroy Carr to Roosevelt Sykes, countless piano men (and 
women) have proven that the guitar isn’t the only instrument that makes legendary
blues. **

Enter Texas-born Glen Clark and his latest CD, _You Tell Me. _It’s his first solo
album since 1994, and such a return is a welcome one. A collaborator with superstars
such as Bonnie Raitt, Delbert McClinton, and Willie Nelson, Clark has found a uniquely-
grooved niche in the piano blues and blues-rock scene. His vocals are reminiscent
of McClinton, and also Tom Petty. With just a touch of angst, the weariness of one
who’s seen too much of the world over several decades, Glen sings his heart out 
and hopes to reach yours. On nine original songs and one cover (Kris Kristofferson’s“
This Old Road”), he gives his all.

Born in Fort Worth, TX, Clark studied music at North Texas State University. He 
moved to L.A. in the 1970s, where he co-founded the seminal southern roots rock 
group Delbert and Glen. They recorded two albums for the Clean/Atlantic label, produced
by Daniel Moore and T Bone Burnett. Beginning in 1980, Glen began touring and writing
with Kris Kristofferson, many of whose songs are featured in the film _Songwriter.
_Ever heard of Billie Swan’s hit single “Do I Have to Draw a Picture”? Clark wrote
it, and it’s one of ASCAP’s most-performed numbers.

Performing along with him (keyboards, guitar and vocals) is the Glen Clark Band:
John Bryant on drums, percussion and vocals; Jim Milan on bass and vocals, and Sam
Swank on guitar. Additional players include James Pennebaker on guitar; Jeff Silbar
on acoustic guitar; Jim Foster on trumpet, and Ron Jones on saxophone. Additional
background vocalists are Paige Clark, Ty Clark, Tracy Truong, Cierra Franco, Ryan
Franco, Pat Peterson, and Benita Arterberry.

All the songs on this CD are fantastic, so let’s do a rundown of the first three.

Track 01: “You Tell Me” – “Here I am alone at the Motel 6. How in the world are 
we getting this big? Same old fight about the same old thing – running hot and cold.”
Who knew a tune about getting kicked to the curb could be so catchy? You almost 
want to do the Twist, because there’s a definite 50’s vibe under the gritty bass
and guitar lines.

Track 02: “Accept My Love” – For some people, love’s the thing. Other folks just
want the bling. The narrator in track two, which calls to mind John Mellencamp’s“
Hurt So Good,” is “a man of humble means” who can’t provide what his inamorata really
wants. Nevertheless, he soulfully persists: “Won’t you please accept my love. Got
nothing else to give except my love.” Wonderful harmony here, and a refrain that’s
a certifiable earworm.

Track 03: “I Can Tell By Looking” – Funky keyboards are the highlight of number 
three, a meditation on Clark’s struggle and search for meaning in life. Here’s another
chorus that will get in your head and not find its way out: “I can tell by looking:
you’re what I’m looking for.” Smooth horns add a finishing touch, as does a wicked
cool guitar solo in the middle.

Are you “in the mood for a melody?” _You Tell Me, _and I’ll tell you that Glen Clark
satisfies!

![Image result for Glen Clark – You Tell Me](https://i0.wp.com/www.makingascene.
org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Glen-Clark.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

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