Customer Reviews

Clapton

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

It has been an open secret for some time now among music enthusiasts that Eric Clapton has been coasting a bit on his solid, unimpeachable reputation.

"Clapton" puts no deviation in that trajectory. This legend does not merely show up to the recording studio and phone it in - certainly not - yet he does work mostly within his box, sounding relaxed and at ease, making the music he wishes to. His choices are predictable, but mostly enjoyable.

This is a set of well-polished, nicely honed tunes - covers and originals alike - that are easy to listen to, if not terribly difficult to turn off in favor of, say, 1992's "Unplugged."

Stone Clapton fans will certainly be pleased, of course, because his trademark sound - a sound that listeners are lucky to still have access to after all these years - is present throughout.

Throughout this pleasing selection of tracks Clapton weaves blues-rock and southern-fried jazz with flourishes of old school R&B, burnished soul and rousing pop/rock. A few tunes meander a little too often such as "River Runs Deep" and Irving Berlin's "How Deep Is the Ocean?"

Still, other selections - even ones that run beyond the 5-minute mark such as the uptempo "That's No Way to Get Along," cannot wear out their welcome, especially with Clapton's trustworthy playing in the mix.

He moves in-between the covers and original quite well, letting them bleed into each other, benefitting the cohesive feel of the album. However, some tunes like the overtly romantic "When Somebody Thinks You're Wonderful," nonetheless overstuffed with the spicy New Orleans-style instrumentation that is frequent among these tunes, sounds somewhat jarring due to surrounding songs that ground the album in a more serious context. Even so, it is awesome to hear him work in a variant of the classic Old Dixie combo sound.

It is a fine moment to hear Clapton wrap his expressive, oaken voice around the immortal "Autumn Leaves" in thoughtful, ponderous fashion.

New Orleans' own Allen Toussaint and Wynton Marsalis both show up to add flourish to the project, as do Sheryl Crow, Derek Trucks and, happily, Steve Winwood, who shared in Blind Faith with Clapton.

A self-titled release often signifies a swap of sound or change in direction, but this is not the case with "Clapton," nor need it be. It is rather a kind, warm-hearted affirmation of what Eric Clapton has long been loved and lauded for - a fine enough excuse to pay it a listen.

Different retailers feature slight variations to the song selections.

One of the advantages of ages, experience and yes, money is that you can do whatever you want and if folks don't like it they can go to hell. For 35 years fans have wanted Clapton to recreate Cream or the Derek and the Dominos record and have been unhappy when he didn't. As Clapton has moved through his 60's he seems to be becoming more comfortable in his own skin and doing the music he wants to. Based on the track listing for this CD it sure seems to be the case, and in doing that he has done his best work in many years.

The new disc, Clapton, has Eric playing old blues songs and standards. Blues we expect, but standards? While it sounds like an odd concept, the common thread is that they come thru Clapton's personality. Much of the record is the kind of laid back JJ Cale influenced work he has favored post 1974. (River Runs Deep, Traveling Alone,). There are a number of blues songs that sound like they would fit in a late night set with a small band in a small club, such as Rocking Chair, Milkman, Hard Times, and Rolling and Tumbling. All are well performed and completely enjoyable.

Interestingly, as I see it, the emotional core of the record is made up of standards-songs like Autumn Leaves, How Deep Is the Ocean, Crazy About You Baby and When Somebody Thinks You're Wonderful. Clapton has known and sung these songs since childhood, and they are as much a part of him as breathing. These songs have a different structure, yet their feel is consistent with the record. Clapton's voice is perfect for these songs and his playing as usual is stellar.

In my not so humble opinion, this is Clapton's best cd of new material since From the Cradle. I highly recommend it. Enjoy

"Clapton" is Eric Clapton's 19th solo album and it comprises covers and originals ranging in sound from Blues to Pop to Jazz. Sounding as great as ever, he is supported by a stellar cast who never overshadow the real star but ably complement.

On the rocking Blues side of things are opening cut the swampy "Travelling Alone", the Gospel-tinged "Judgement day" (with Kim Wilson on harmonica), "Everything Will Be Alright" and "Run Back to Your Side", while on the calmer side of the Blues are "Rockin' chair", "River Runs Deep", "Crazy About You Baby", "That's no way to get along", and "Hard Times Blues".

On the Jazzy side of things are the swinging "My Very Good Friend The Milkman" (with Clapton introducing Walter Richmond and Allen Toussaint on piano, and Wynton Marsalis on trumpet) and the enchanting slow shuffle "How Deep Is The Ocean". "Diamonds Made from Rain" is a piano/organ ballad (a new song with Sheryl Crow on backing vocals). "When Somebody Thinks You're Wonderful" is sung in a playful tenor with Marsalis once again on trumpet. Closing is the absolutely spectacular "Autumn Leaves" sung in a hushed tremulous baritone and with two fabulous guitar breaks, possibly my favourite version yet!

Nobody does it quite like Slowhand. Splendid!

Eric Clapton could easily cut 14 tracks of blues and rock interspersed with soaring five minute solos and delicious blues licks. His ability to stretch out a guitar solo and make his stratocaster sing and cry is legendary. He proves this every time he plays a live show. The last time I saw him play live back in 2006, the the live version of layla performed that night had me quite literally moved me to tears.

There's a lot more to Mr. Clapton than just those moments. In his new release of eclectic tunes, Eric's song interpretation and phrasing are spot on. When Eric does a cover of anything, whether it be Robert Johnson or Albert King, he has a way of making it fresh and interesting. His singing on this album is probably the best in his entire career. Not bad for a 65 year old. He always enjoyed the music that the old blues cats played. Now Clapton himself is an old blues cat, and his vocals and playing are supremely assured and confident. When I first listened to the track "autumn leaves", I pressed repeat 3 times in a row. The song is just so gorgeous, so beautifully arranged, and the Eric's guitar solo so sweet that it was worth the purchase of the album alone. There's also a healthy does of really great piano playing on this disc. Takes you back to the 30's and 40's, in the best way. Clapton does a great job of reviving a genre of american music that is often ignored these days. Perhaps that's because only musicians like Clapton have the ability to capture its charm.

These are great songs, performed by some of the best musicians of the 20th century (clapton includes some fantastic guests on this release). The album features a guitar trio of Clapton, Doyle, and Derek. What more could you want? Perhaps Wynton Marsalis? J.J. Cale? Steve Winwood? They're all here.

Be on the look out for the amazon bonus track "midnight hour blues". It doesn't come up unless you search for the song in the MP3 store. Other bonus songs are available from itunes "I was fooled" and Barnes and Noble "Take a walk with me". A final bonus track was only available from eric clapton's website, "You better watch yourself." That means Mr. Clapton has blessed us with 18 new tracks this time around.

My favorite tracks on this release are "Autumn Leaves" and "Rocking Chair". This album most resembles the best parts of "Me and Mr. Johnson" and "Reptile".

One final comment, the quality of this recording is stellar. Audiophiles will be sure to pick this one up. It's engineered to perfection.

An album like this is where Clapton shines as an artist. His best contributions weren't from his Phil Collin's produced pop songs of the 80's. That's what Phil does best. His best recordings didn't come from Cream, which was more of a psychedelic jam band that only vaguely resembled the blues roots it was influenced by. His best stuff certainly didn't come out of his days of addiction. His guitar prowess was most fully on display in the early 90's (see 24 nights and From the Cradle). Eric is now the most comfortable and proficient he's ever been as an artist. This is Clapton playing and singing the music he loves. Perhaps that's why the album is simply entitled "Clapton".

This is one of the best records I heard - the songs were greatly picked and they are performed wonderfully. There is a good mix of styles from swing to big band to blues.

Highly recommended

The first cut took me back to the late 60's with a Canned Heat sound (I'm on the road again...). The old blues songs are great and Wynton Marsalis does some great Dixieland trumpet. Many songs are just perfect easy listening tunes. My Dad raised me on Dixieland Jazz, so I enjoyed hearing Eric Clapton try his slow hand at that...

Its refreshing to here some new music from Clapton and not just the old hits recyled. Good stuff !

A lot of pre-release hype was attached to this. It is not quite what I expected, will not "Rock you out" and is more jazz and blues oriented than his more commercial successes,.. but he has been past that for some time. This is clearly an album he made for his own enjoyment,.. and if you are Clapton fan you will enjoy it too.

It was, I admit, my own misconception that a CD entilted "Clapton" would likely contain music that defined everything one associates with that name. Very little of it actually resembles anything the guitarist has done before--though it may re-define the term 'laid-back'. It's pleasant, low-key, and unoffensive (nice to have playing in the background while concentrating on something else) but never actually stirring. It may grow on me--it may not.

I like a lot of the old standards too, but if I wanted to hear 'Autumn Leaves,' I'd grab a Nat King Cole CD. I may be fifty-five, but I don't want to listen to my Dad's music. It's almost as though there are two Claptons- the one who blows your socks off live, as at Crossroads, then there's the one who practically puts you to sleep as on this CD, or on 'Back Home.' The former is the guy I want to hear, and I don't understand why he never shows up in the recording studio anymore. Sure, he showed up on 'Sessions For Robert J,' but that was essentially a recording of the rehearsals for Crossroads. Clapton needs to bring that fire and passion into the studio, not the sleeping potion. Enough of "studio Clapton" already! Next time I want to hear "live Clapton"!