Buy this DVD: "Rocking the Boat"
Category: Movies... Music...
Posted Thursday, June 14, 2007 at 10:17 PM [GMT-6]

My "Pre-Release Special Limited Edition" copy of Rocking the Boat: A Musical Conversation & Journey arrived in yesterday afternoon's mail delivery. I opened the package immediately but managed the discipline to delay putting it in the player until late in the afternoon. Good thing, too, because once I started it, I couldn't tear myself away.

I mentioned this movie in a recent post about Delbert McClinton's local appearance last Saturday. In that post, I lamented the lack of intimacy in the concert venue that kept McClinton's music from being at its best. This DVD overcomes that limitation, and then some. The movie is a compilation of interviews and performances arising from McClinton's annual floating R&B festival – a chartered cruise ship filled with amazing musicians and appreciative fans. If you appreciate "lyric based rhythm and blues" (and, really, who doesn't?), and especially if you like the Texas and Louisiana flavors of the blues (as opposed to, say, Mississippi and Georgia), then this disk is an absolute must-have.

The cruises feature a wide range of music, ranging from alt-country to gospel to roadhouse blues to zydeco. Most of the songs are performed by the people who wrote them. Joining Delbert are luminaries such as Marcia Ball (who is introduced by a worshipful McClinton – "listening to her is like...hearing the truth."), Rodney Crowell (whose rendition of "Dancin' Circles Round the Sun" had me filling my iTunes Store shopping cart with more of his music), Paul Thorn (who bears an uncanny resemblance to Jason Statham of The Transporter movie franchise, albeit with an Alabama accent), and many others.

As much as anything, this is a tribute by, for, and to people who just like making music. They're not in it for the money; they're in it for the music, and it shows. If that statement doesn't resonate with you, you're better off with anything from the Hottest Hits rack at Best Buy, but if you know what I'm saying, you'll want to click over and buy the movie. At $25, it ain't cheap, but when you spread it out over the repeat viewings and listenings you'll subject it to, it'll be a rare value.

Note that this movie is unrated, and there are a few occurrences of strong language.