Eric Clapton still continues to speak for his generation, both musically and culturally.
Back in February, 2021, his concert at the Royal Albert Hall was cancelled due to the draconian lockdown of the COVID pandemic. Having received a bad reaction from the vaccine, almost taking him out of the musical picture, Clapton has been outspoken about the vaccine mandate. Good for him!
Just as determined, he used the lockdown to team up with his working buddies of Chris Stainton/key, Nathan East/b and Steve Gadd/dr to deliver a 77 “live in studio” concert that is nothing less than a relaxed and intimate thrill. There’s a cd and a Blu-Ray for those who are visually oriented, but the music on its own is simply a composite of what makes Eric Clapton, well, Eric Clapton.
Most of the tunes feature Clapton on acoustic guitar, but just for art’s sake, let’s first go over the handful of electric guitar pieces that close out the album. Clapton sounds like he’s back with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, earthy on Muddy Waters’ “Long Distance Call”, gritty on “Bad Boy” and two stepping on a Chicago’d “Got My Mojo Working”. WHEW!
Unplugged, he delivers a deft slide on “Tears From Heaven”, a slow blues soft intro to “Layla” and a mellow ride for “Bell Bottom Blues”. Clapton and company honky tonk through and intimate “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” and taps into his deep roots on a pair of compatriot Peter Green tunes, a sleek “Black Magic Woman” and “rich “Man of the World” that features Stainton’s ectomorphic support. East and Stainton dig deep with Gadd’s sticks on “After Midnight” and simmer for the stroll of “Key To The Highway”. No trends, no gimmicks and no compromising.