Customer Reviews

The Road to Escondido

5 star:		(96)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

JJ Cale and Eric Clapton are an intriguing team - as JJ wrote and recorded a couple of songs that later became huge commercial succeses for Eric Clapton (After Midnight and Cocaine). Actually, comparing the JJ Cale vs the Eric Clapton versions of these two songs shows the similarities of the versions - not their differences - to be particularly striking. Eric primarily brought his celebrity to these tunes - which helped some great music get exposed to a broader market.

Not surprisingly, at first listen TrtEscondido sounds a lot like a number of JJ Cale albums - many of the tracks showing JJ's characteristic laid-back shuffle, with a comfortable bluesy feel through-out. A closer listen though underscores some subtle collaborative synergy not apparent in Eric's covers of JJ's earlier work. Much of the unique feel of this collaboration is found in the contrasting vocal work of these two artists.

I was amazed by how similar, yet complimentary, the vocal stylings are of JJ and Eric. A real treat on this collection is the track "Missing Person" where they trade off the verses and join at the chorus for a fabulous duet - voices that sound like they were meant to sing together. And yes - of course the instrumental break doesn't disappoint - as these two masters creatively tag team rifs dissipating into some inspired keyboard work before the final chorus.

This probably isn't the best album in the catalog of either of these artists. It is, however, a very tasty collaboration of two extremely talented musicians who clearly respect and appreciate each other's delightfully complimentary talents.

"In Spanish and Portuguese, escondido means a hidden place. That's the straight definition. But the word often also implies somewhere dark as well as hidden - a sinister locale with the emphasis on sin. This is a post-jazz honky tonk (or roadhouse or juke-joint, etc.). This is the "place" of The Road to Escondido. The bands in most honky tonks were straightforward - usually a drummer, bass player, one or two guitars, and a singer. Point is, most honky tonk music is direct and raw. J.J. Cale and Eric Clapton guitar fans should love Escondido." Tom Watson

Much has been written about the friendship of J.J.Cale and Eric Clapton. This CD clenches it, they are the best of the best. Eric has recorded several of J.J. Cales's songs and made his mark in the record world with "Cocaine". This CD is a synergistic work that shows that neither has the upper hand. The artistry of both has made the guitar playing of both as perfect as before, and it often blends into one whole. J.J. Cale has written eleven out of the fourteen songs. This is a collection of songs dedicated to Billy Preston whose last recordings are present. Guitars can be heard with such skill and love, Doyle Bramhall II, Derek Trucks, John Mayer, Albert Lee and the acoustic piano of Billy Preston will amaze you,

'Danger' rhythm and great guitar and sung solo by Eric Clapton- written by Cale

'Heads In Georgia'-slow, bluesy, soul- 'that lonesome ole highway , seems to be our way go down'.

'Missing Persons'- sprightly bounce of a serious side- 'That woman used to be mine, but she is a Missing Person'.

'When This War Is Over'-country honky-tonk and shuffle- great examples of how two musicians can catch the mood of each other and sing serious words.
"It will be a better day".

'Sporting Life Blues'-classy jazz and blues composition-:This night life, this old sporting life is killing me".

'Dead End Road'-sprightly two-steppin' song-"Feel like I'm runnin' a dead end road, and which way am I to go?"

'It's Easy'-my favorite of all of the songs, but some say it is the "requisite sleaze" Bouncy rhythm-"It's so easy' to get through these times, so easy your love and mine"

'Hard to Thrill' finger snappin, sultry, slow blues-co-written by Eric Clapton and John Mayer, with John's unique guitar playing.

'Anyway the Wind blows'-rhythm of this toe-tappin song. "If you don't get loose, if you don't groove. Well, your motor won't make it and your motor won't move. Easy come, easy go. Any way the wind blows"

'Three Little Girls'-finger-pickin, delicate composition "I get all my love from my three little girls".

'Don't Cry Sister'-reggae twist on the blues. "Don't cry sister cry, till be alright in the morning. Don't cry sister cry, everything be just fine
Don't cry sister cry, till be alright, I tell you no lie. Don't cry sister cry, don't do it, don't do it."

'Last Will and Testament'-late night at the bar, "I'm gonna over sixty, won't be long til I'm nothin' but a ghost, and it is my intent to leave all of my people out of my Last Will and Testament".

'Who Am I Telling You'-slow, bluesy, "It don't take any fool to love you, and you stand out in any crowd. You done got yourself together".

'Ride the River'- the closer is full of interesting images and a spirit of adventure. The two souls of blues are one.

"The Road To Escondido has become a real embodiment of Cale's and Clapton's friendship and due to the commonness of the artists' views at music the record is characterised with remarkable harmonies and peace. The same elusive joy for its creators make it easy for each to understand the other and both are doing what they like best of all. Encouraging each other on every track, the musicians have found a common key adding some features to their playing which have never been heard before. From the very beginning till the end album The Road To Escondido is a homogeneous flow of amazingly warm songs, offering a lot of feelings by means of little words. " MusicMP3RU

All the tracks on this CD are meaningful and full of spirit, blues, jazz and that elusive joy, all of us, and my best friend and I are looking for. It is full of the history of blues and these two men, J.J. Cale and Eric Clapton. This CD lives up to their collective souls.
Highly Recommended. 9/10/06

What few people seem to fail to recognize is how great of a singer/songwriter J.J. Cale is. The fact that most people know him as the guy who wrote Eric Claptons Cocaine and After Midnight goes to show that a lot of people have never really dug into the vast catalouge of songs that J.J. has recorded himself. I like J.J. Cale better then I like Eric Clapton, so lets begin here...
This is a J.J. Cale album more than it is an Eric Clapton album. Cale wrote eleven of the fourteen tracks, and even though Clapton plays a pretty solid guitar, and sings harmony alongside, its basically JJ's show. Which is cool if you ask me. Clapton is no doubt, an admirer of JJ Cale. If you listen to his 1978 recording of Cocaine, and then listen to the Cale original, you may notice that they sound almost exactly the same. The only major difference between the two was the artist name on the front of the record. Claptons version became a huge hit. The mellow sounds of the songs on this record flow very nicely, and its good to think that perhaps this artist is going to get a little more recognition than usual, now that E.C has stamped his name on the bill.
Thing is, this is a long overdue collaboration, and listening to it, it is obvious why. Everyone mentions how this is Claptons best album in years, and it is true. But for JJ Cale, it is about the same quality as all of his other records... for instance his album To Tulsa and Back, which came out about two years ago, was equally as good. JJ Cale writes songs that are smooth and easy, but not soft. I dig. Read some other reviews and they will all say this album is good, because it is. I also don't want to sound like I'm trying to discredit Clapton for what he brings to the album. I just wanted to say that if you dig this one, you should maybe check out a few more JJ Cale albums, before you go looking for something similar from Eric Clapton.

I have been listening to this cd all week. It is so well engineered and recorded that it should be used as a test cd. I saw Mr. Clapton on CBS Sunday Morning Show and he and Mr. Cale looked like they really enjoyed themselves making it. Mr. Cale's songwriting is excellent, what a wonder he is. One very pleasant surprise was the late Billy Preston playing organ and piano, the recording and engineering brings out the punch in Mr. Preston's playing. Mr. Clapton has written a very touching song about his daughters that is a must and his guitar playing is lyrical as well. I don't think I have ever heard him play as well.

It makes sense that rock gods can get boring after 60. The hunger to make your mark isn't there anymore. The other side of that equation is these old guys have lived their way inside their music. They always have something to say that's worth hearing, they just need the right conditions to get 'em to say it.

JJ inviting Clapton to record was a great idea. Eric has been working through his JJ obsession for many years, so how do they work together?
Beautifully. Both shine brighter on this album than they have in their solo work for quite some time. Clapton shows the emotional depth that only he can express on guitar and vocals on "Hard to Thrill" and "Who Am I Telling You". These are both superb, standout songs. JJ is all over the place, but he generously gives the album's crowning moments to Clapton and other guests.

If that's Derek Trucks' solo on "Who Am I Telling You", it is a thing of beauty. Wow. And Albert Lee casually rips through a country solo that will leave you grinning like a 5 year old. Clapton and JJ play in and out of each other on every tune, mimicing each other's stylistic signatures until it's hard to tell who is playing. Anyone who loves guitar will have hours of fun figuring out who plays what lick.

Whoever said the songs were dull is just wrong. Just abvout every song here is a laid back gem, esbecially "Who Am I Telling You", one of the most beautiful love songs JJ has ever written. Clapton's "Three Litle Girls" is also charming. This is a class album, so give it up for JJ and Eric, Albert, Derek, Billy, Taj, etc. Get 'em while you can folks, we won't see their like again.

What can be said? There are no suitable adjectives. Blows away even how good I anticipated it would be. Cale like I've never heard him. Clapton found his way "home". I've been an ardent Cale fan since the 70s, Clapton's a decade earlier. THE Master accompanied by The Master: Cale - the master songwriter, the master of style, atmosphere & feel; Clapton - the master musician, the master of presentation, polish & production. In their individual ways, both masters of presence - distinct routes to a common end. Hearing this album, you realize how closely their music has parallelled all along. Usually, greatness together yeilds strained competition. This collaboration is effortless and natural, allowing them to compliment each other to new heights yeilding a whole far more accomplished than even the sum of the halves could ever hope to achieve. True musical soulmates finally together. The partnership so "right" you wonder if they haven't played together for years in other lives? This release causes me to hope that it is just a taste of many more to follow ...

Eric Clapton has made it thru much in the past 40 years: drugs and alcohol, personal tragedy, and horrible 80's synthesizers. This CD is just plain good-it doesn't try to be something it's not, and Clapton doesn't have to prove he's a guitar god anymore. J.J. Cale writes some good bluesy rock songs and together they sound great. The addition of Dereck Trucks on slide guitar is terrific, as is Billy Preston on the organ. This recording is not "slick" or "overproduced" as some have said-it sounds smooth, clear and accurate. I have a feeling that this CD will receive regular playing time on my stereo for many, many years.

This is a very enjoyable CD. Eric Clapton and JJ Cale compliment each other so well vocally and on the guitar. They harmonize so well on the track Danger. Eric's guitar playing is so slick throughout the entire disc. Sporting Life Blues is another highlight on this disc. It has a classic slow tempo blues sound. Dead End Road is a fun upbeat song that really gets me moving. I love the energetic piano and fiddle playing on this song very much. It's Easy is a track about the art of living the simple life. I love the lyrics to this song. Heads in Georgia has a slow sensual sounding quality to it. It is interesting song about how a person's mind and body can be in two separate places. Missing Person is a light fun sounding track about a woman who disappears without saying a word. This song is one of my favorites. Three Little Girls is a sweet song. I love the harmonica playing on this track. Don't Cry Sister is another standout track in which Clapton and Cale harmonize so well together. The Road to Escondido is one of the best musical collaborations of 2006.

I'm a huge Cale fan and was worried that Clapton's presence might ruin this effort with an "overproduced" sound. To the contrary, the Cale influence dominates with Clapton fitting in extremely well. The vocals are pretty much shared which is fine. This is an extension of Cale's signature genre(a melding of blues, country, rock, jazz, whatever) that remains "laid back" yet still brings the beat and never degenerates into detestable soft rock. He's always had the touch. Clapton gets it as well as anyone. This is a buy.

...this is the kind of stuff you'll get. I mean, music. With real instruments and real feeling.
Although not characteristic for each one's style, this record has everything: Clapton's sliding riffs from "461 Ocean Boulevard" ("Missing Person"), a bit of bluesy "Shades" on a classic Dixie remake (Taj Mahal's harmonica on "Sporting Life Blues" helps a lot), a bit of "5" ("Don't Cry Sister"), the southern moods of "Okie" ("Anyway the Wind Blows" - fantastic remake), some sunny rays of bluegrass ("Dead end Road"), the slow harmonic turns of "Cherry" on "8" ("Who Am I Telling You?") - the vinyl version...
A JJ addict? A must have. A Clapton fan? Then watch the movie above and hear Clapton's words: "There's one thing I'd love to do before I go underground: a JJ-like record..."