Eric Clapton/ The Lady In The Balcony

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Eric Clapton/ The Lady In The Balcony: Lockdown Sessions

Genre: Blues-rock

Label: Bushbranch Records

Rating: ***

Superstar Eric Clapton has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, specially because of his anti-lockdown stance and views on vaccination, resulting in the protest songs 'Stand And Deliver' with Van Morrison and the solo 'This Has Gotta Stop'.

Following the cancelation of his London shows in May, his decision to record an album featuring acoustic takes of old material was met with skepticism. This would be another Unplugged, was the refrain, a reference to the brilliant 1992 MTV album which had in a way revived his career.

The new album, titled The Lady In The Balcony: Lockdown Sessions, was recorded at a jam session at Clapton's home. And the comparisons with Unplugged are natural and justified, since 14 of the 17 songs are in that format. Moreover, Clapton decided to repeat three songs - the standard 'Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out', first popularised by Bessie Smith, besides his own 'Tears In Heaven', written for his late son Conor, and 'Layla', an ode to ex-wife Pattie Boyd. The first one is impressive, with interesting tweaks, but 'Tears In Heaven' misses the heartbeat of the original. And for Pattie's sake, he's done enough of 'Layla'.

But there are pleasant surprises too, with some first rate assistance from keyboardist Chris Stainton, bassist Nathan East and drummer Steve Gadd.. The JJ Cale classic 'After Midnight' gets fresh treatment with Stainton and Clapton solos, besides that chugging rhythm. The reinterpretation is masterly.

The dedications to Fleetwood Mac's late guitarist Peter Green on his compositions 'Black Magic Woman' and 'Man Of The World' are appropriate. Stainton's piano dances gracefully on the Derek And The Dominos piece 'Key To The Highway' , but the new version of 'Bell Bottom Blues' from the same period lacks the twang.

Clapton sounds emotionally charged on 'River Of Tears' from the 1998 album Pilgrim, where he sings, "Lord how long do I have to keep on running, seven hours, seven days or seven years, all I know is that since you've been gone, feels like I'm drowning in a river".

The standard 'Rock Me Baby' gets the trademark Clapton acoustic touch. Sadly, his rendition of 'Believe In Life', a song he had dedicated to his wife Melia McEnery, is disastrously insipid. Ironically, Melia is the 'lady in the balcony' who inspired the album title.

The bulk of the record is rooted in the blues, and significantly, Clapton plugs in to play the Muddy Waters numbers 'Long Distance Call' and 'Got My Mojo Working', besides 'Bad Boys' from his 1970 album. For those who've followed his discography, the switch almost seemed like he moved from Unplugged to From The Cradle. And both of them were fresh efforts!

The net result is a mix of songs that works as a good refresher course to his music, without really being outstanding. There are the familiar songs, and there are rarer ones that ooze his style. The addition of a couple of brand-new tracks would have made a huge difference.

The record comes after his 2018 Christmas album, which followed the 2016 release I Still Do, which contained a mix of reinterpretations and new songs. He had a rough health phase five years ago when he was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy, a nerve disorder that affects movement and sensation. The fact that he made a musical comeback speaks volumes for his tenacity.

But then, Clapton is no newcomer to recovery, having battled and overcome serious drug and alcohol issues. He's done an enormous amount of social work in the field of deaddiction through his Crossroads facility in Antigua. He's done his good service, and he's made his mistakes too. He's human after all, and perhaps a fair trial is the need of the hour.