Word: clapton
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...Eric Clapton...
...Eric Clapton takes a ride into Mississippi delta country in his new release, revisiting the juncture of Highways 61 and 49—the crossroads where they say the king of all bluesmen, the legendary Robert Johnson, sold his soul to the devil for musical genius. Even the most bulletproof rock icon was once just another wide-eyed fanboy, and Clapton has made no secret of his lifelong devotion to Johnson, whose fingerprints have been indelibly burned into nearly every one of Clapton’s efforts. Me and Mr. Johnson marks the consummation of this...
Departing from the painstaking economy of Johnson’s guitar-and-voice arrangements, Clapton gives the erstwhile-skeletal pieces the full rock and roll treatment: his veteran band (which includes luminaries like keyboardist Billy Preston) adorns Johnson’s work with bass, drums, keyboard and harmonica. The extra sonic dimension feels more like revelation than heresy; the ease with which Clapton and his band introduce these new layers testifies to the oceanic depth of the songs. From the slow and dirty grind of “Milkcow’s Calf Blues?...
...Johnson can’t improve on the original—as Clapton would readily attest—but it admirably and capably translates Johnson’s oeuvre for a new audience. An altogether pleasurable gateway into the world of the blues
Perry isn't the guitarist that Clapton is, but his picking has a slutty vocal quality that's perfect for Bo Diddley's Road Runner and Muddy Waters' I'm Ready. It also plays well off Tyler's singing, which increasingly sounds less human and more like a rogue trumpet. Tyler can still hit all the notes, often at the same time, and his explosive incomprehensibility on Big Joe Williams' Baby, Please Don't Go will leave you laughing--in a good way. It's unclear exactly what Tyler is feeling (though it might be in his pants...