Eric Clapton: Old Sock
Details
Genre: RockPros:
Return to reggae and a rocking "Gotta Get Over" are worth spinningCons:
Nashville pop indulgence and easy-listening vibes turns Clapton into a Randy NewmanBack in the day reminiscing on Old Sock from rock god does very little to compliment legacy
Back in the day reminiscing on Old Sock from rock god does very little to compliment legacy
For those who have gobbled up every tasty morsel of Eric Clapton’s repertoire, Old Sock may seem like an appetizer for something great to come. There’s no “Layla” here, no awesome guitar shredding on board or anything that further cements Clapton’s god-like status, but there are pleasant moments aboard. “Further On Down the Road” stitches Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” with Clapton’s own reggae excursions (“I Shot the Sheriff”). Still, it’s a little bit more than that as it plays like an in-the-moment studio jam extending past the six minute barrier. Clapton’s infinite love for reggae continues on a reading of Otis Redding’s “Your One and Only Man” and his remake of Peter Tosh’s “Til Your Well Runs Dry, but the disc starts to run rampant with smooth soft rock and easy-listening country ballads like “Angel” and “The Folks Who Live On the Hill” which does everything in its power to reduce Clapton to a Starbucks coffee shop gig. Plus, the sexy coos of the female background vocals on much of the disc seem to be just a bit overindulgent with smooches that it cuts at the core of Clapton’s edginess. “Gotta Get Over” does try to rev up some much needed adrenaline, as his pipes leave a dry rub on a Memphis bluesy offering decked with a very hard-to-find Chaka Khan on backgrounds. It works, but very little of those moments are heard here. And what you have left are country-fried American songbook offerings (“All of Me,” “Our Love Is Here to Stay”) that tries to whip Clapton into a Randy Newman soundalike. It’s a careful segue into the hot Nashville country pop market, but pales in comparison with the rock star greatness that still encapsulates him.
