Eric Clapton

Me & Mr Johnson

Light, pale, watery blues...

Review Score:

(2/10)
Take away for one second the fact that this is an Eric Clapton album. Take away, too, that all the songs are by Robert Johnson. Listen to it as a piece of music, for what it is worth.

Sadly, you'll find it isn't worth much at all.

The arrangements are bland and contrived - monotonous, mathematically correct blues for beginners. No feeling at all. The singing is lacklustre and unemotive. If this were a band trying to get their first recording contract, they wouldn't get one. It sounds more like a self-indulgent bar band playing WITH their Johnsons, than an accomplished blues guitarist playing Robert Johnson.

What went wrong? Clapton loves the blues, and has made incredible covers of Johnson tunes before (whether sticking close to the original, or taking them off in imaginative new directions), always with a heatfelt love of the music. I can only assume he was in a creative slump, and decided to pull what he thought would be a guaranteed ace out of the hole. Sadly, it didn't work.

If you are a hotel manager looking for some nice, safe muzak that won't offend the little old ladies and can easily be tuned out, buy this stinker. If you are looking for a blues album, don't bother - I've heard more soulful, heartfelt blues in a Britney Spears song.

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