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by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
After the guest-star-drenched No Reason to Cry failed to make much of
an impact commerically, Eric Clapton returned to using his own band for
Slowhand. The difference is substantial -- where No Reason to Cry struggled
hard to find the right tone, Slowhand opens with the relaxed, bluesy shuffle
of J.J. Cale's "Cocaine" and sustains it throughout the course
of the album. Alternating between straight blues ("Mean Old Frisco"),
country ("Lay Down Sally"), mainstream rock ("Cocaine,"
"The Core"), and pop ("Wonderful Tonight"), Slowhand
doesn't sound schizophrenic because of the band's grasp of the material.
This is laid-back virtuosity -- although Clapton and his band are never
flashy, their playing is masterful and assured. That assurance and the
album's eclectic material make Slowhand rank with 461 Ocean Boulevard
as Eric Clapton's best albums.
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#947 Virgin/Colin Larkin(2000)
