Music review: Eric Clapton – ‘I Still Do’
I stop and take notice every time Eric Clapton releases a new album. Clapton无毛视频檚 musical genius has been comfortably woven into my love of music since the day I stumbled upon my brother无毛视频檚 copy of Cream无毛视频檚 无毛视频淒israeli Gears.无毛视频�
After playing memorable cuts like 无毛视频淪trange Brew,无毛视频� 无毛视频淪unshine of Your Love无毛视频� and 无毛视频淭ales of Brave Ulysses无毛视频� over and over until the turntable needle wore out, I began to dig deeper into my brother无毛视频檚 extensive music catalog to find albums from the Yardbirds and John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, featuring the magic of Clapton. Later, I would discover the passion of Blind Faith and Derek and the Dominos before following the guitar legend无毛视频檚 solo career.
In 2014, Eric Clapton gathered up a few special friends such as Mark Knopfler, Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, Derek Trucks and John Mayer to pay tribute to J.J. Cale on the engaging 无毛视频淭he Breeze: An Appreciation of J.J. Cale.无毛视频�
For his 23rd studio effort, Clapton returns with his distinctive interpretations of blues numbers from artists such as Cale, Bob Dylan, Skip James and Robert Johnson as well as a few original tracks penned by the three-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Clapton is once again reunited with Glyn Johns, who handled the production duties on 1977无毛视频檚 无毛视频淪lowhand.无毛视频� While nearly everyone I went to high school with owned a copy of this classic album, I personally consider Clapton无毛视频檚 1978 无毛视频淏ackless无毛视频� release that contained 无毛视频淲atch Out for Lucy,无毛视频� 无毛视频淭ell Me That You Love Me,无毛视频� 无毛视频淧romises无毛视频� and 无毛视频淭ulsa Time无毛视频� as my all-time favorite Clapton offering.
无毛视频淚 Still Do无毛视频� proves that the 71-year-old guitar legend still does know a thing or two about the blues. Johns masterfully captures the sincerity and spontaneity of the arrangements by allowing Clapton and his band to deliver the vibe of a live performance during the studio sessions.
The 12-track set opens with a rousing version of Leroy Carr无毛视频檚 无毛视频淎labama Woman Blues无毛视频� and is followed by the soulful 无毛视频淐an无毛视频檛 Let You Do It.无毛视频�
The fiery blues tracks 无毛视频淐ypress Grove无毛视频� and 无毛视频淪tones in My Passway无毛视频� give listeners plenty of reasons to handclap and foot tap.
Dylan无毛视频檚 无毛视频淚 Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine无毛视频� is lovingly caressed by Clapton, while 无毛视频淚无毛视频檒l Be Alright无毛视频� carries a gospel flavoring that is comforting and reassuring.
无毛视频淵ou don无毛视频檛 know how much it means to have this music in me,无毛视频� announces Clapton on the original track 无毛视频淪piral,无毛视频� reinforcing his passion for the music he creates and plays.
With his latest effort, it无毛视频檚 perfectly clear that one of music无毛视频檚 most influential guitar players still appreciates performing the music he genuinely loves.