Eric Clapton

Me & Mr Johnson

There'll Be Time Enough for Countin' When the Deal is Done

Review Score:

(4/10)
This album is quite a treat! We all know Clapton from his numerous albums and hit songs over the last few years, so his appearance on this album is not too surprising. His guitar work on "Me & Mr. Johnson" (aka "Mr Johnson & I" if you're hip) is smooth and jazzy, like Al Dimeola riffing after hours with Dave Koz. I almost think that I'm sipping lemonade at the country fair whenever I listen to it. "Little Queen of Spades" is a lonely plea to a lost lover, whose gender is ambiguous in the lyrics, in true modern-songwriting fashion. This politically correct CD should appeal to everyone except Bill Mahr. "They're Red Hot" is a cogent reminder about the perils of eating tamales as well as playing with fireworks (the latter is my interpretation). Believe me, when EC says "They're Red Hot" I believe him! Hear ye, hear ye, I say to that.

The real treat on this album is the reappearance of Billy Preston as Clapton's sideman. Adding him to the group is like having additional insurance, and those who know about Preston's former legal issues know all about his unique expertise with regard to insurance. What most people don't know is that Preston is the "Mr Johnson" to which Clapton refers in the title. Even though the songs are covers of tunes by the really old singer Robert Johnson (who has been a friend of mine for years--he lives in Seattle these days), we all know that Clapton has referred to Preston as "Mr. Johnson" (aka "Reptile") for years. It is an immense sign of respect, and we all know that fans of postmodernism dig talking about "signs." I really hope He continues to be a fixture in Clapton's group, because He may be the factor that takes Clapton's new music and "kicks it up a notch" Emeril-style. (I talked to Robert the other day, and he wants Preston to continue being in the group too.) If you like this album, you should check out Preston's other albums; you will not be disappointed.

However, since He is such a strong presence on this album (which isn't bad--duh, He IS "Mr. Johnson") this doesn't come off as being a "true" Clapton album. If you like the classic sound of Clapton, you should listen to his non-Preston/"Mr. Johnson" collaborations. Therefore this album is really a 3 star album: 5 stars for Preston, but only 1 star for Clapton. But because I don't usually like to encourage such efforts (I like to make people work a little) I'll settle on 2 stars because maybe it will motivate EC a little bit. He is rich, after all, and could probably use a little motivation to get the "eye of the Tiger" back just like Rocky had against Clubber Lang. I've always found that people do a better job when you give 'em the "World Series of Poker" type of treatment. As Kenny used to say (and Robert tells me this all the time too), "you gotta know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em." What is so clever about that line is that it rhymes with Texas Hold 'Em. Awesome.

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