I had to think long and hard about writing this short post. I feel like the majority of my posts to date have been discussing the same things over and over. That ’same thing’ is the blues. I guess this isn’t so surprising as I’m in a place right now where the blues just goes with everything. It relaxes me while I’m working, but not so much that it sends me to sleep or makes me unproductive. It inspires me to pick up my guitar when I get home and just fiddle round for hours on end while I relax.
The blues for me, has become more of a lifestyle than it has a preferred genre of music.
I spoke recently about the return of the blues and within that post mentioned an album that really hits the nail on the head. Well I want to talk a little more in depth about that album today, and that wondrous album, is of course, Eric Clapton: Slowhand at 70 - Live at the Royal Albert Hall.
What’s that? Another live album I hear you say? Well guilty. You should know this by now, but live music is the best kind of music, and for the blues this rings true.
The king of blues is a title that isn’t easily won, and for me the crown alternates on the heads of a few geniuses. John Mayer, takes a more modern approach. For lack of a better word, his shredding is quicker, covering broader ranges with ease. Clapton however, lives up to the name of this album, Slowhand. His style is much less chaotic than Mayer’s, finding each note with precision and a rhythm that I have yet to hear another artist match.
Throughout Slowhand, Clapton is on form, with each track played faultlessly. The album itself was recorded over 5 nights at the Royal Albert Hall, which gives an indication as to the consistency of Clapton’s excellence. Slowhand encompasses enough ’essential’ Clapton to please his following, but the true brilliance of the album comes in two covers performed, which are my personal highlights.
I don’t even know why I am going to attempt to describe how good these covers are. You really should just go and listen. But Clapton’s cover of ’I Shot The Sheriff’ elevates Slowhand at 70 to another level, then the best cover of J.J. Cale’s Cocaine, sends it through the roof.
Of course, Clapton’s originals are also fantastic, particularly Layla, but his interpretation of other artists I feel really sets him apart as arguably one of the greatest blues musicians ever to grace our ears. Slowhand at 70 is a must buy, and for that you have a couple of choices. Namely, the audio, the visual and the vinyl - which includes all three.
