Record Reviews
📝 2096 reviews| Artist | Title | Review |
|---|---|---|
| Eric Clapton | Unplugged | <p>Clapton's Unplugged was responsible for making acoustic - based music, and Unplugged albums in particular, a hot trend in the early '90s. Clapton's concert was not only one of the finest Unplugged episodes, but was also some of the finest music he had recorded in years. Instead of the slick productions that tainted his '80s albums, the music was straightforward and direct, alternating between his pop numbers and traditional blues songs. The result was some of the most genuine, heartfelt music the guitarist has ever committed to tape. And some of his most popular — the album sold over seven million copies in the U.S. and won several Grammies.</p><p>— <strong>Stephen Thomas Erlewine</strong></p> |
| Eric Clapton | From The Cradle | <p>For years, fans craved an all - blues album from Clapton; he waited until 1994 to deliver From the Cradle. The album manages to recreate the ambience of post - war electric blues, right down to the bottomless thump of the rhythm section. If it wasn't for Clapton's labored vocals, everything would be perfect. As long as he plays his guitar, he can't fail - - his solos are white - hot and evocative, original and captivating. When he sings, Clapton loses that sense of originality, choosing to mimic the vocals of the original recordings. At times, his overemotive singing is painful; he doesn't have the strength to pull off Howlin' Wolf's growl or the confidence to replicate Muddy Waters' assured phrasing. Yet, whenever he plays, it's easier to forget his vocal shortcomings. Even with its faults, From the Cradle is one of Clapton's finest moments.</p><p>—<strong>Stephen Thomas Erlewine</strong></p> |
| Eric Clapton | Motherless Child (EP) | |
| Eric Clapton | My Fathers Eyes (SP) | |
| Eric Clapton | Live In Hyde Park | <p>Not to be confused with the 1980s vintage concert video Eric Clapton & Friends, Live in Hyde Park is a first-rate showcase for the guitar legend's playing, offering him ample room to work out on acoustic as well as electric guitar and a fine display of his oft-overlooked vocal skills. Opening up with an acoustic rendition of "Layla," the performance starts off on a subtle note before plunging into the higher-wattage straits of "Badge" and other songs — working alongside Clapton are Dave Bronze on bass, Andy Fairweather-Low on guitar, Chris Stainton on keyboards, Steve Gadd on drums, Jerry Portnoy on harmonica, Roddy Lorimer, Simon Clarke, and Tim Sanders on horns, plus a girl vocal duo and a gospel choir singing backup. Interestingly, in addition to the expected numbers associated directly with Clapton and his idols — including "Hoochie Coochie Man," "I Shot the Sheriff," "Five Long Years," and "Have You Ever Loved a Woman" — he also performs "White Room," a number written by and much more closely associated with (and, indeed, still in the repertory of) Jack Bruce. The latter is transformed into something much more lyrical and upbeat than the Cream original. The sound, which offers a selection of stereo, DTS, and 5.1 Surround, is impeccable, and the full-screen (1.33-to-1) image is even better, with lively, mobile camera work, and coupled with the fact that the 89-minute program captured Clapton on what looks like an especially "on" gig, this is a purchase that any fan, dedicated or casual, can make with confidence. The disc opens automatically on an easy-to-use menu with the "play" option in the default position.</p><p>— <b>Bruce Eder</b></p> |
| Eric Clapton | Riding With The King | <p>The potential for a collaboration between B.B. King and Eric Clapton is enormous, of course, and the real questions concern how it is organized and executed. This first recorded pairing between the 74-year-old King and the 55-year-old Clapton was put together in the most obvious way: Clapton arranged the session using many of his regular musicians, picked the songs, and co-produced with his partner Simon Climie. That ought to mean that King would be a virtual guest star rather than earning a co-billing, but because of Clapton's respect for his elder, it nearly works the other way around. The set list includes lots of King specialties — "Ten Long Years," "Three O'Clock Blues," "Days of Old," "When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer" — as well as standards like "Hold on I'm Coming" and "Come Rain or Come Shine," with some specially written and appropriate recent material thrown in, so King has reason to be comfortable without being complacent. The real danger is that Clapton will defer too much; though he can be inspired by a competing guitarist such as Duane Allman, he has sometimes tended to lean too heavily on accompanists such as Albert Lee and Mark Knopfler when working with them in concert. That danger is partially realized; as its title indicates, Riding With the King is more about King than it is about Clapton. But the two players turn out to have sufficiently complementary, if distinct, styles so that Clapton's supportive role fills out and surrounds King's stinging single-string playing. (It's also worth noting that there are usually another two or three guitarists on each track.) The result is an effective, if never really stunning, work.</p><p>— <strong>William Ruhlmann</strong></p> |
| Eric Clapton | Crossroads Guitar Festival (DVD) | |
| Eric Clapton | Sessions For Robert Johnson | Music from DVD. |
| Eric Clapton | Sessions For Robert J. | <p>It appears that Eric Clapton had more Robert Johnson in his blood than he thought -- or perhaps it was planned this way. This DVD/CD set (and really, it's not the other way around despite the packaging), showcases Clapton mining the Robert Johnson vein ever more deeply in no less than four different settings. The DVD features 19 acoustic and electric performances recorded in rehearsal spaces in Dallas and in England, as well as in the 508 Park Ave. in Dallas, a studio Johnson himself recorded in, in 1937. There is one more segment, a recorded solo acoustic in a hotel room in California. The band that joins Clapton in the rehearsal studios is comprised of guitar master Doyle Bramhall, organist Billy Preston, Steve Gadd on drums, pianist Chris Stainton and Nathan East on bass. The electric performances, particularly "Milkcow's Calf 's Blues," "Stop Breakin' Down Blues," and especially "I Wish I Had Possession Over Judgment Day," have some real life and stomp in them. Of the acoustic tracks, "Terraplane Blues" works best. The DVD also contains a selection of behind-the-scenes footage that will be of interest only to those fans who need to see everything. The CD contains 11 cuts culled from the DVD and the sequencing is in some ways preferable.</p><p>— <strong>Thom Jurek</strong></p> |
| Eric Clapton | Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood Live From Madison Square Garden | <p>Live from Madison Square Garden, the double live album (and DVDs) compiled from Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood's reunion concerts, was released on May 19th, 2009. Until the concerts, which took place at New York City's historic venue from February 25th to the 28th of 2008, the two rocks legends and longtime friends had yet to perform a full concert together for nearly 40 years. Clapton and Winwood had first worked together in the 1966 blink-and-you-missed it supergroup Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse. The two would join forces yet again for another supergroup in 1969, the acclaimed Blind Faith. Unfortunately, due to a number of issues, the group dissolved within a year of its creation and Blind Faith's final performance took place in Hawaii on August 24th of 1969. The idea for a reunion concert would arise from the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival where Clapton and Winwood took the stage together to perform a small number of songs.</p><p>Live from Madison Square Garden compiled the cream of the performances taken from those the concerts to showcase this historic reunion of rock and roll royalty. With the help of Chris Stainton on keyboards, Ian Thomas on drums, and Willie Weeks on bass, Winwood and Clapton beautifully performed songs from each other's lengthy musical careers in addition to a number of classic blues and rock covers. As expected, a healthy dose of Blind Faith's one and only album graced both the stage and recorded releases, with “Had To Cry Today”, “Presence of the Lord”, and “Can't Find My Way Home” shinning the brightest. A number of songs from Winwood's breakthrough group, Traffic, such as “Dear Mr. Fantasy”, “Glad”, and “Pearly Queen”, made appearances. Clapton brought with him his chart-topping “Forever Man” as well as his beloved renditions of J.J. Cales' “After Midnight” and “Cocaine”. The music of Jimi Hendrix was also celebrated as “Little Wing”, the Band of Gypsys piece “Them Changes”, and, the quintessential example of psychedelic blues, “Voodoo Chile” were all brilliantly brought to life. Months before the live album was even released, Clapton and Winwood announced a 14 date tour of the United States that would kick off on June 10th, 2009, and would follow that tour with others in the following years. Live from Madison Square Garden went on to be quite the success and is truly a treat for a fan of either Clapton or Winwood. Hands down, it should not be missed!</p> |
| Richard Clapton | The Best Years Of Our Lives | |
| Clark Hutchinson | A=MH2 | |
| Stanley Clarke | Live At The Greek | <p>More than any other genre, jazz seems best suited for the live environment. An artist can improvise in the studio, certainly, but in concert a musician can ignore time limits and stretch creative possibilities. This is especially true of all-star collaborations; they can seem contrived or forced, but when chemistry exists between the players, the result is jazz in its purest, most exciting form. Such is the case on this disc, which features five contemporary giants: Clarke, Larry Carlton, Najee, Deron Johnson, and Billy Cobham. Seventy minutes for seven songs allows the players to interact and solo at length, stretching originals and Miles and Mingus covers to their limit. While each member is a monster improvisor, all base their musings on a definite wave of melodic brilliance. Najee is the real surprise here, as Clarke says in his liner notes. While the others are respected as top fusion cats, the saxman has always faced criticism for the commercialism of his albums; here, Najee proves he can blow with the best of them, getting the energy flowing on tracks like his own "Buenos Aires." Other highlights include the light intro "Minute By Minute," which L.C. popularized as an instrumental; Cobham's explosive "Stratus"; Carlton's simmering "Her Favorite Song"; and the final piece, an increasingly frenetic, 22-minute explosion of Clarke's classic "School Days."</p>— <b>Jonathan Widran</b> |
| Stanley Clarke | This is Jazz | |
| Billy Cobham | Spectrum | |
| Billy Cobham | Spectrum | |
| Bruce Cockburn | Bruce Cockburn | <p>Bruce Cockburn's self-titled debut's blend of diversity, enthusiasm, and innocence never quite resurfaced again in his work, especially in his more clinical, politically inclined tracts of later decades. The opening number, "Going to the Country," still evokes that hippie-esque, back-to-the-earth movement as well as any song ever recorded, complete with a sly wink that keeps it fresh to this day. And since this was 1970, the album also comes equipped with some of those quaint excesses of the period; try the nasal tone poem gracing "The Bicycle Trip." "Musical Friends" remains a lively, happy-go-lucky classic with piano signature lifted from Paul McCartney's playbook; it's difficult to picture the dour Cockburn of more recent years ever having this much fun. In contrast, "Thoughts on a Rainy Afternoon" offers a trance-like, introspective atmosphere reminiscent of British folkie legend Nick Drake.</p><p>—<strong>Roch Parisien</strong></p> |
| Bruce Cockburn | High Winds, White Sky | <p>A remarkably fresh and timeless recording, Bruce Cockburn's second album concentrates far more on roots music than its predecessor. There's the ragtime blues of "Happy Good Morning Blues," the ambitious minor-key troubadour folk of "Love Song," and the slide guitar country of "One Day I Walk" to kick things off. And over the album's original ten songs it just becomes more ambitious. "Golden Serpent Blues," with its poignant and percussive piano lines, is something out of a Western Canadian barrelhouse where the piano player has heard and loved "Lady Madonna." Overall, however, this album -- like Sunwheel Dance that follows it -- presents a far more mystical Cockburn. His tenderness and poetic vision are almost pastoral on these early recordings, something that would get burned off and become hard-bitten (if no less romantic and more dramatic) as his music and social vision grew</p><p>—<strong>Thom Jurek</strong></p> |
| Bruce Cockburn | Sunwheel Dance | <p>Showing a decidedly English traditional feel in spots, Sunwheel Dance is a suprise for those who were looking for more of the same. It takes on different textures and hues depending on the song playing, from simple folk ("Feet Fall on the Road"), jazz-influenced instrumentals ("Sunwheel Dance") to a country-folk blues in "Dialogue with the Devil." Cockburn has begun to show that he couldn't be categorized, and while that made listening to his music so enjoyable, he had a hard time at the retail level. But if you're willing to take a little time and listen with an open ear, you'll find much here to celebrate.</p><p>—<strong>James Chrispell</strong></p> |
| Bruce Cockburn | In The Falling Dark | <p>With every album he released during the first half of the '70s, Bruce Cockburn continued to evolve and show signs of greatness, and with his seventh, In the Falling Dark, he makes good on these promises. As a whole, this record trumps anything that its predecessors had to offer, almost to the point where it's difficult to imagine that it followed the release of Joy Will Find a Way by only a year. The sound that was merely suggested on his previous recordings is fully realized here: check out the flute and trumpet interplay on the jazz inflected instrumental "Giftbearer," the hypnotic "I'm Gonna Fly Someday" with its irresistible flute, horn, and voice line, and Fred Stone's flügelhorn on "Silver Wheels." Furthermore, the songwriting is without a doubt his most consistent; "Lord of the Starfields" and the evocative title track are the pinnacle of his Christian mysticism, whereas the aforementioned "Silver Wheels" is one of his keenest social observations to date. There's still the occasional slide into the sort of hippie-ish sentiments that have plagued his recordings from time to time, but even at its most mawkish, there's a sweetness and warmth to the material. His first U.S. release since 1972, In the Falling Dark may not have made Bruce Cockburn a household name, but it did mark his emergence as an important artist.</p><p>—<strong>Brett Hartenbach</strong></p> |
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