Redemption (LIB, 2002)

A gravelly-voiced troubadour with classic-rock sensibilities, Scott McClatchy evokes all kinds of old ghosts on his latest. These songs get a muscular workout from a band that comes complete with backup vocals often used to wonderful effect.

Still, there's always something stirring inside - whether its the fiddle that laces "Radio," the uplifitng the opening track, the Dylanesque tones of "The Reason" or the almost-unthinkable combination of former Del Lord Scott Kempner, folkie Willie Nile and Hall of Fame doo-wop king Dion chiming in on a friends-at-a-bar rendition of The Band's classic "The Weight." McClatchy's vocal turns evoke everything from Bruce Springsteen to the gruff stylings of Barry McGuire's "Eve Of Destruction" - which is to say there's a lot of heart here. ( E-Mail: librecs@aol.com)