Delta Moon

“Clear Blue Flame” by Delta Moon, from Clear Blue Flame (Jumping Jack Records):

When singer and guitarist Tom Gray saw Ry Cooder perform with David Lindley, he was inspired to start Delta Moon with fellow slide guitarist Mark Johnson (and an ever-changing rhythm section). The band’s swampy, rustic Southern blues drips greasy grit, and after going through two female leads in as many albums, Gray takes over vocal duties on Delta’s latest, Clear Blue Flame. His flinty voice — which suggests a cross between Warren Zevon and Eric Clapton — complements the stinging guitar and rootsy, backwoods atmosphere. Gray is no stranger to center stage, having led ’80s Atlanta new-wavers the Brains, with whom he penned the eventual Cyndi Lauper hit “Money Changes Everything.”