MEDIA
Preview
Albums
Eric Clapton
Clapton
Reprise Records
Listening to Eric Clapton’s 19th solo album, Clapton,
is like attending a lecture given by the coolest
professor on campus—the highly-respected star
within his/her own field who was at the nexus of, or
was the impetus for, some important moments and
movements. The anticipation is worth it. You walk
away inspired and challenged.
With some good ideas, nothing to prove, and plenty of things kicking around in his head,
Clapton set out to make a certain album but that album never got cut. It took a different turn
as thoughts of the three main influences in his life—his grandmother, mother, and uncle—and
the music they raised him on, crept into the project and then took it over. The eventual eclectic mix of tunes includes blues, songs straight out of New Orleans, some unexpected standards, and original material. Clapton’s resolve to serve each song allowed the project to go
to some places you might not otherwise explore as a musician. Take, for example, his foray
into Fats Waller’s “My Very Good Friend the Milkman” and “When Somebody Thinks You’re
Wonderful.” As Dixieland romps where guitars are an afterthought, they might seem more
appropriate for the credit roll of This Old House than a Clapton album, but they’re actually a
nice space for Clapton to explore as a vocalist and a lifelong listener of the genre. As a guitarist, his touch on Hoagy Carmichael’s “Rocking Chair” is wise and contemplative. His rich,
tube-saturated tone on the lead track, “Traveling Alone”—a Little Son Jackson gem that has
him playing alongside frequent road sideman and album co-producer Doyle Bramhall II—will
delight Cream fans. Jazz aficionados will appreciate Clapton’s take on standards like “Autumn
Leaves” and Irving Berlin’s “How Deep Is the Ocean.” Not only is his phrasing superb, his
rhythm comping is built on luscious guitar versions of piano chords.
There are some nice doses of favorite Clapton recipes on the album—songs with an
Unplugged “Layla” vibe, Road to Escondido-esque blues numbers bolstered by J.J.
Cale appearances, and adult contemporary radio-friendly songs like “Diamonds Made
From Rain,” which features an appearance by Sheryl Crow. Other guests on the album
include Allen Toussaint, Steve Winwood, Wynton Marsalis, Derek Trucks, Kim Wilson, and
Trombone Shorty. The rhythm section is anchored by keyboardist Walt Richmond, bassist
Willie Weeks, and drummer Jim Keltner.
sound that occasionally approaches Eric
Johnson territory, and it fits perfectly with the
harsher sound of the brass and woodwind
sections. As one of the leading guitar voices
of his generation, Rosenwinkel establishes
himself as an equally gifted composer with
this ambitious album. —Jason Shadrick
Black Dub
Black Dub
Jive
Trip hop, down tempo, dub reggae, gospel, Memphis soul, and
early-’60s surf instrumentals collide gloriously
in Black Dub, the latest
chapter in Daniel Lanois’
amazing musical odyssey. Joined by singer Trixie Whitley—whose
plaintive alto recalls her late father, bluesman
Chris Whitley—bassist Daryl Johnson, and
drummer Brian Blade, Lanois casts a mysterious spell with his pensive fingerpicking and
swirling sound effects. Lanois’ solos echo
the gritty, Bigsby-drenched fretwork in Neil
Young’s After the Gold Rush, and his dreamy
double-stops evoke Curtis Mayfield by way
of Axis: Bold as Love-era Jimi Hendrix. For
Lanois, playing guitar is about generating
sonic voodoo, not flaunting technique or athletic ability. By cutting many of their tracks
live, Lanois and his Black Dub bandmates
imbue their pulsing music with a sense of
intimacy and fragile beauty that’s rare in a
world of carefully manicured albums.
—Andy Ellis
Clapton the album says an awful lot about who Clapton the man is and where he is at age
65. What’s going on in his head and coming through his music is just as important as ever.
—Joe Coffey
Dwarr
Animals (reissue)
Drag City
Kurt Rosenwinkel and OJM
Our Secret World
WOM Music
Guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel
is a modern-day alchemist. He isn’t afraid to
push the envelope of jazz
guitar in a way that some
“jazz snobs” might not
agree with. On his latest album, he partners
with Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos, a big
band from Portugal that’s led by pianist
Carlos Azevedo. Our Secret World combines
the brute force and wide-open orchestration of a 16-person group with Rosenwinkel’s
modern sense of rhythm and unique compositional voice. Throughout the album, the
focus is firmly on Rosenwinkel. From the
burning solo on the title track to the pensive
solo guitar intro on “Zhivago,” there is plenty
of space for Rosenwinkel to stretch out.
Throughout, he relies on a slightly overdriven
These days, recording a
minor masterpiece in your
bedroom is well within
the realm of possibility.
But when South Carolina
plastic factory worker
Duane Warr (aka Dwarr) recorded his spookily
brilliant Animals in 1986, such an undertaking took will, resourcefulness, and vision. In
Dwarr’s case, the vision is dark and deeply
personal. And Animals is a disc of absolutely
haunting, home-fried outsider metal that’s
