[5][6] Recorded live in the studio over two days in Nashville, I'm with You was produced by Barry Beckett and McClinton.

[13][14] The Washington Post wrote that "McClinton has always been an exciting singer, but there's a hard-won, undefeated wisdom in his voice now that allows him to sing with the knowingness of his childhood blues heroes.

"[20] The Los Angeles Times called the album "a fiery, up-tempo collection driven by snappy horn lines and soulful vocals.

"[21] The Chicago Tribune thought that McClinton's "soulful, raspy voice is equally at home on flat-out rockers such as 'The Real Thing' and 'That's the Way I Feel' and on his own bluesy ballad, 'I Want to Love You'.

"[22] The Oregonian praised the singer's "gravelly voice," and deemed the album "gutsy, brawling blues and R&B.