J J Cale & Eric Clapton - The Road To Escondido [2006] [Robbi

J.J. Cale & Eric Clapton
The Road To Escondido



Label: Reprise / Wea
Released: 2006
Source: Original CD
Size Torrent: 395 MB
Format: FLAC





JJ Cale penned two of Eric Clapton\'s career-defining solo hits, \"Cocaine\" and \"After Midnight.\" And since Clapton has often fashioned his persona in a WWJD manner (what would JJ do?), this collaboration is long overdue. But despite the rather slick production and long list of guest backing musicians (including four bassists, four drummers, five other guitarists, and three percussionists), The Road to Escondido is still dominated more by Cale than Clapton. The relatively reticent Okie wrote 11 of the 14 tracks, and it\'s his low-key soufflé of blues, jazz, and country that shapes and directs the disc\'s tone, with Clapton along for the ride. The opening \"Danger\" sets the dusky mood as the duo rides a typical Cale swamp groove that gives way to a tightly wound Slowhand solo. They trade lead vocals on a lovely version of the after-hours jazz blues classic \"Sporting Life Blues,\" and the ubiquitous John Mayer makes an impressive appearance on the subtle blues of \"Hard to Thrill.\" Clapton hasn\'t sounded this relaxed or involved in his own material for years. The traditionally laidback, if not quite snoozy, Cale responds with a comparatively energized performance, likely due to the high-profile company. When the two harmonize on the mid-tempo foot tapper \"Anyway the Wind Blows,\" the result is so natural and spontaneous it\'s a shame these two didn\'t join forces earlier. On paper, it appears that Cale has the most to gain from partnering with an established superstar, but the fact is this collaboration yields Eric Clapton\'s most engaging and contagious roots-rock release in a long time.




Personnel

• J.J. Cale: Guitars, keyboards, vocals.
• Eric Clapton: Guitars, vocals.
• Derek Trucks: Guitar.
• Jim Karstein: Drums, percussion.
• James Cruce: Drums, Percussion.
• Pino Palladino: Bass guitar
• Steve Jordan: Drums.
• Abe Laboriel, Jr: Drums.
• Gary Gilmore: Bass guitar.
• Willie Weeks: Bass guitar.
• John Mayer: Guitar.
• Albert Lee: Guitar.
• Billy Preston: Hammond Organ, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer.
• Walt Richmond: Piano.
• Doyle Bramhall II: Guitar.
• Nathan East: Bass guitar.
• Christine Lakeland: Guitar, vocals.
• Simon Climie: Percussion.
• David Teegarden: Percussion.
• Taj Mahal: Harmonica.
• Dennis Caplinger: Fiddle.
• Bruce Fowler: Horns.
• Marty Grebb: Horns.
• Steve Madaio: Horns.
• Jerry Peterson: Horns.




Track Listing

1. \"Danger\" - 5:34
2. \"Heads in Georgia\" - 4:12
3. \"Missing Person\" - 4:26
4. \"When This War Is Over\" - 3:49
5. \"Sporting Life Blues\" (Brownie McGhee) - 3:31
6. \"Dead End Road\" - 3:30
7. \"It\'s Easy\" - 4:19
8. \"Hard to Thrill\" (Eric Clapton/John Mayer) - 5:11
9. \"Anyway the Wind Blows\" - 3:56
10. \"Three Little Girls\" (Eric Clapton) - 2:44
11. \"Don\'t Cry Sister\" - 3:10
12. \"Last Will and Testament\" - 3:57
13. \"Who Am I Telling You\" - 4:08
14. \"Ride the River\" - 4:35

All songs by J. J. Cale except where noted.