SpenniesB.B. King & Eric Clapton - Riding With The King
July 12th 2006 06:41
B.B. KING & ERIC CLAPTON
Riding With The King (2000)
Reprise
Produced by Eric Clapton & Simon Climie
Link to Amazon w/ audio samples
The pairing of two veteran guitarists from different ends of the blues world is an idea which has the potential to cook up some really hot material. There are no originals here however (apart from some old B.B. King tunes), the duo opting for covers and taking turns in lead duties. It's a cool concept; on the one hand, you have Clapton's definitive Stratocaster sound and crooning vocals. Then there is King's trademark short and sharp blues licks, and wailing but sweet voice. For fans of the blues, it's a match made in heaven.
My opinion of this album is fairly mixed. I've tried to enjoy it on a few different levels and appreciate it, but it all just seems too forced and much too clinical for my liking. There is a very slick, produced vibe that runs throughout the 12 songs, and it just doesn't suit the music. To me, blues is dirty music; it's gritty, from the heart and it has soul. "Riding With The King" gets it right maybe 50% of the time, but for the other half, it just sounds like big-budget studio blues, the type that you would hear on an instructional CD or in a music shop.
I think the strongest points of the albums are the more traditional bluesy numbers and the ballads, although I can't really decide wether I like Eric Clapton's voice in this or not. They're not bad, but nothing outstanding. My favourite track is the really upbeat, swingy "Days of Old" which is one of King's old tunes. It's a lot of fun and bops like a good blues rag should. A couple of other standouts include the closing ballad "Come Rain or Come Shine" which is a decent interpretation, and the super-cool and laidback acoustic "Worried Life Blues" in which I actually prefer Clapton's vocals.
There's a few real flops though - the very un-funky Doyle Bramhall tunes "Marry You" tries to find a groove, but falls flat and lacks any trace of soul. A couple of other numbers just sound way too similar in approach, with the guitar solo's quite thin and pretty unimaginative. I don't know, maybe because it's a collaboration between two such highly esteemed artists I expected something a little more, perhaps I set the bar too high. To be fair, this is for the most part a fun record. I can imagine it would go down well as background music, or maybe as an introduction to the genre from a more contemporary standpoint. Whatever the case, to my ears it seems like two master musicians, who are probably capable of quite a lot more, just having some fun jamming out some tunes, but in the process sound like they're going through the motions a little too much. I'd much rather listen to John Lee Hooker or Muddy Waters for some truly great blues.
Riding With The King (2000)
Reprise
Produced by Eric Clapton & Simon Climie
Link to Amazon w/ audio samples
My opinion of this album is fairly mixed. I've tried to enjoy it on a few different levels and appreciate it, but it all just seems too forced and much too clinical for my liking. There is a very slick, produced vibe that runs throughout the 12 songs, and it just doesn't suit the music. To me, blues is dirty music; it's gritty, from the heart and it has soul. "Riding With The King" gets it right maybe 50% of the time, but for the other half, it just sounds like big-budget studio blues, the type that you would hear on an instructional CD or in a music shop.
B.B. King
Eric Clapton
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