{"id":28465,"date":"2013-03-25T09:13:02","date_gmt":"2013-03-25T14:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=28465"},"modified":"2014-02-08T08:34:08","modified_gmt":"2014-02-08T13:34:08","slug":"eric-clapton-old-sock-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2013\/eric-clapton-old-sock-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Eric Clapton | Old Sock<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alissa Ordabai<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"EricLayers of knowledge \u2013 not only of music, but of life \u2013 are distilled into this unhurried album so naturally, Clapton\u2019s finesse now seems completely innate, not acquired. At times it sounds as if you are listening to a collective popular music mind, not to an album by one single artist. Not only because this is a covers record where Clapton pays tribute to such greats as Taj Mahal, George Gershwin, J.J. Cale, Peter Tosh, and Gary Moore, or because he assembles an equally impressive roster of guest musicians. The vibe also hangs on his continuous connection to history, as well as the way he unifies all cuts with laid back precision and restraint. <\/p>\n

Avoiding flashy demonstrations, the record offers an example of how understated virtuosity can create a more convincing atmosphere than the most flamboyant shredding. Instead of using intense colors, Clapton paints these tracks in gradations of hues, with nuances to the fore, and knowingness taking the place of impulsiveness. With nothing left to prove, he is free to explore some of the most interesting, although not the most obvious things in music \u2013 subtleties of tone and tempo and degrees to which nuances can modify a seemingly straightforward message. <\/p>\n

Away from pumped-up emotion and concoction, the record\u2019s warm vibe gradually washes out the humdrum of everyday life to create a kind of reality which may not be dramatic, but still projects a convincing striving for something beyond the everyday. The songwriting on the two originals is first-class too \u2013 \u201cGotta Get Over\u201d lays forward bouncy, elegant blues-rock, and \u201cEvery Little Thing\u201d is an instantly memorable reggae-tingled ballad with tasteful, mellow guitar parts. Clapton\u2019s search for inner equilibrium seems just about complete here \u2013 you feel both rested and rejuvenated one you are back into your own headspace. <\/p>\n

Genre: Blues, Jazz, Blues-rock, Reggae, Country<\/p>\n

Personnel:
\nEric Clapton – vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, dobro, mandolin
\nDoyle Bramhall II – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, mandolin, backing vocals
\nWillie Weeks – bass guitar, upright bass
\nSteve Gadd – drums
\nWalt Richmond – upright piano, keyboards
\nGreg Leisz – pedal steel, mandolin
\nChris Stainton – clavinet, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Hammond B3 organ
\nTaj Mahal – harmonica, banjo
\nJim Keltner – drums
\nSteve Winwood – Hammond B3 organ
\nJJ Cale \u2013 guitar, vocals on “Angel”
\nPaul McCartney – upright bass, vocals
\nAbe Laboriel Jr – drums
\nTim Carmon – Hammond B3 organ, chord organ
\nHenry Spinetti – drums
\nJustin Stanley – clavinet, mellotron, drums
\nMatt Chamberlain – drums
\nMatt Rollings – keyboards
\nSimon Climie – percussion, piano
\nFrank Marocco – accordion
\nGabe Witcher – fiddle
\nStephen “Doc” Kupka – baritone saxophone
\nJoseph Sublett – tenor saxophone
\nNicholas Lane – trombone
\nSal Cracchiolo – trumpet
\nSharon White – backing vocals
\nMichelle John – backing vocals
\nChaka Khan – guest vocals on “Gotta Get Over”
\nJulie Clapton – guest vocals
\nElla Clapton – guest vocals
\nSophie Clapton – guest vocals
\nNikka Costa – guest vocals
\nWendy Moten – guest vocals
\nLisa Vaughan – guest vocals
\nNick Ingman – string arrangements<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1. Further on Down the Road (feat. Taj Mahal)
\n2. Angel (feat. J.J. Cale)
\n3. The Folks Who Live on the Hill
\n4. Gotta Get Over (feat. Chaka Khan)
\n5. Till Your Well Runs Dry
\n6. All of Me (feat. Paul McCartney)
\n7. Born to Lose
\n8. Still Got the Blues (feat. Steve Winwood)
\n9. Goodnight Irene
\n10. Your One and Only Man
\n11. Every Little Thing
\n12. Our Love is Here to Stay<\/p>\n

Label: Bushbranch<\/p>\n

Online: www.ericclapton.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 7\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alissa Ordabai – Senior Columnist — Layers of knowledge \u2013 not only of music, but of life \u2013 are distilled into this unhurried album so naturally, Clapton\u2019s finesse now seems completely innate, not acquired. […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8704],"tags":[336,903,6134,3713,334],"class_list":{"0":"post-28465","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-arcrvws2013","7":"tag-cd","8":"tag-eric-clapton","9":"tag-jazz","10":"tag-reggae","11":"tag-review"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28465"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28465\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}