AMG Review of Deeper Shade of Blue

Brian Mansfield
All Music Guide

Del McCoury's love affair with the blues is never more explicit than on A Deeper Shade of Blue, a classic from the word go, where songs with the titles like "Cheek to Cheek with the Blues," "A Deeper Shade of Blue," and "The Bluest Man in Town" are the order of the day. Never a purist when it comes to songs, McCoury covers Kevin Welch's "True Love Never Dies," Willie Nelson's "Man with the Blues," and the Jerry Lee Lewis hit "What Made Milwaukee Famous." His version of Lefty Frizzell's "If You've Got the Money Honey" is downright piercing.