There`s One in Every Crowd
Lucikly this isn`t one of Eric`s 1980s synthesizer infested records but a sincere blues album from the mid seventies when he was still relying on his guitar and not of Phil Collins` money scenting abilities.
Once again Clapton doesn`t claim to be one of the great songwriters of his time putting five covers and five original compositions on this record. Out of the covers the most prominent is the tradition "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" which Eric even released as a single and which overgoes a reggae treatment on here. Actually it isn`t the only reggae composition on this album - there`s also "Don`t Blame Me" which is a sequel to Clapton`s hit from his previous album - "I Shot the Sheriff" and which doesn`t improve the original by one grain of salt.
This record though mostly isn`t about melodies, it`s about moods. It`s a rather relaxed and laid back record where you don`t get too much noise or too much of anything to be quite honest. What you get are not particularly structured but rather emotional gems like "Better make it through today" and "Pretty Blue Eyes". Nothing stands out too much but the record has some charm to it without a doubt and be Clapton doing gospel of "We`ve been Told (Jesus comin` soon)" or the gospel-blues mixture of "Singin` the blues" it`s still the same Clapton you can`t dislike. By the way one of the key ingredients of this record lies in the female back vocalists who add an extra layer of sound to this record.
There`s no doubt that this isn`t Eric`s finest moment - he isn`t flashy or especially memorable on this album but not every album of a great musician should leave you stunned like after hearing "Disraeli Gears" for the first time. Sometimes it`s just nice to lie on the bed, drink some tea and listen to such sincere and unpretentious blues rock.
Once again Clapton doesn`t claim to be one of the great songwriters of his time putting five covers and five original compositions on this record. Out of the covers the most prominent is the tradition "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" which Eric even released as a single and which overgoes a reggae treatment on here. Actually it isn`t the only reggae composition on this album - there`s also "Don`t Blame Me" which is a sequel to Clapton`s hit from his previous album - "I Shot the Sheriff" and which doesn`t improve the original by one grain of salt.
This record though mostly isn`t about melodies, it`s about moods. It`s a rather relaxed and laid back record where you don`t get too much noise or too much of anything to be quite honest. What you get are not particularly structured but rather emotional gems like "Better make it through today" and "Pretty Blue Eyes". Nothing stands out too much but the record has some charm to it without a doubt and be Clapton doing gospel of "We`ve been Told (Jesus comin` soon)" or the gospel-blues mixture of "Singin` the blues" it`s still the same Clapton you can`t dislike. By the way one of the key ingredients of this record lies in the female back vocalists who add an extra layer of sound to this record.
There`s no doubt that this isn`t Eric`s finest moment - he isn`t flashy or especially memorable on this album but not every album of a great musician should leave you stunned like after hearing "Disraeli Gears" for the first time. Sometimes it`s just nice to lie on the bed, drink some tea and listen to such sincere and unpretentious blues rock.
2007-10-26
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