Eric Clapton - Slowhand (1977/2015) [Official Digital Download 24/192]

After the guest-star-drenched No Reason to Cry failed to make much of an impact commercially, 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. 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 laid-back virtuosity although Clapton and his band are never flashy, their playing is masterful and assured. That assurance and the album's eclectic material make Slowhand rank with 461 Ocean Boulevard as Eric Clapton's best albums.

Tracklist:

01. Cocaine
02. Wonderful Tonight
03. Lay Down Sally
04. Next Time You See Her
05. We're All The Way
06. The Core
07. May You Never
08. Mean Old Frisco
09. Peaches And Diesel

Personnel:

Eric Clapton, guitar, vocals
Albert Lee, guitar, backing vocals
Dave Markee, bass
Henry Spinetti, drums, percussion
Chris Stainton, keyboards
Gary Brooker, keyboards, backing vocals



All thanks go to the original releaser