Record Details
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Record ID
135
Artist
Eric Clapton
Title
Slowhand
Field / Genre
Rock
Year Recorded
1977
Label
RSO
Pressing
Aus
Rating
***
Discs
1
Media
R
Date Bought
1 Jan 1900
Cost
¤8.00
Cover Name
—
Review
<p>After the all-star No Reason to Cry failed to make much of an impact commerically, Eric Clapton returned to using his own band for Slowhand. The difference is substantial — where No Reason to Cry struggled hard to find the right tone, Slowhand opens with the relaxed, bluesy shuffle of J.J. Cale's "Cocaine" and sustains it throughout the course of the album.</p><p>Alternating between straight blues ("Mean Old Frisco"), country ("Lay Down Sally"), mainstream rock ("Cocaine," "The Core") and pop ("Wonderful Tonight"), Slowhand doesn't sound schizophrenic because of the band's grasp of the material. This is laidback virtuosity — although Clapton and his band are never flashy, their playing is masterful and assured. That assurance and the album's eclectic material makes Slowhand rank with 461 Ocean Boulevard as Eric Clapton's best album.</p><p>— <strong>Stephen Thomas Erlewine</strong></p>