Eric Clapton & J. J. Cale: The Road To Escondido - 2006
In 2006, Eric Clapton finally cut an album with one of his long-time muses, the comparatively unsuccessful and lesser-known J. J. Cale. Now, given that Clapton had released several Cale covers (notably After Midnight and Cocaine) and that he spent most of his post-1970 career sounding like Cale, it is not surprising to find that this is an album very much in that laid-back effortless, sleepy blues mode.
Clapton had this to say about the album -
“This was the realisation of what may have been my last ambition — to work with the man who’s music has inspired me for as long as I can remember, there are not enough words for me to describe what he represents to me, musically and personally, and anyway I wouldn’t want to embarrass him by going overboard, for he is a truly humble man. I think it’s enough to say that we had fun, made a great record, and I for one already want to make another."
Eric teamed up with Albert Lee, Derek Trucks, John Mayer and Billy Preston (in one of his last sessions) to produce an excellent album of Americana blues. It is full of that country blues atmosphere but I have to say that Clapton has honed his Cale sound-alike vocal so much over the years that the two of them sound indistinguishable. Check out a track like the excellent, upbeat When The War Is Over as an example. Not that it matters, because it's a fine sound anyway. It does come across like a Clapton solo record, though, not that I'm complaining. Cale inspired Clapton and now they are together, inspiring each other. There is no plagiarism here, just two artists whose instincts are intrinsically similar.
The tracks easily move between punchy, gritty bluesers like Missing Person, country rockers like Dead End Road, quiet ballads such as Three Little Girls and somnambulant snoozers such as Sporting Life Blues, neither Clapton or Cale ever getting too worked up along the way. Hot as they look on the cover, they are supremely cool here. These are professionals who know their business. Some of the guitar work present is excellent. Of course it is. Get a load of the mid-song bit on Dead End Road if you are in any doubt.
My review of Clapton's 2014 tribute to Cale, The Breeze, may also be of interest. Click on the title.
