Eric Clapton/ Meanwhile

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Eric Clapton/ Meanwhile

Genre: Blues-rock

Label: EPC Enterprises/ Surfdog Records

Rating: ** 1/2

Every time Eric Clapton releases an album, expectations are high. After all, the legendary musician has been around since the mid-1960s, and if you're reading this, you'd know his vast achievements. You greet his new album Meanwhile with the same nervous curiosity, even though only six of its songs are brand new studio releases and the remaining eight are ones that he's recorded or played live after the onset of the Pandemic.

Like all his releases in the past two decades, Meanwhile is a mixed bag. There are a few songs that create an impression, and remind you of vintage Clapton. Producer Simon Climie's work is consistent and classy, with Jerry Douglas assisting him on two country-laced numbers. But the main issue is that most of the other songs have familiar tunes or riffs, and a style which Clapton has specialised in over the years.

The more ardent fans would have heard the tracks released previously, and half the album wouldn't be fresh for them. Moreover, five of the selections are adaptations of known songs, and may lead to comparisons with earlier recordings. The presence of guest heavyweights Van Morrison and the late Jeff Beck doesn't add value. Even Clapton's vocals show strands of age-induced shakiness.

The album begins with 'Pompous Fool', which has the words, "Don't you worry, don't be blue, let your woman take care of you: live your life by the golden rule, pay no mind to the pompous fool". The song is routine, and at best, a warm-up exercise. It's assumed to be targeted at former British prime minister Boris Johnson.

However, the next song 'Heart Of A Child' is a gem, and clearly one of the stand-out cuts here. It's a brilliantly structured composition with Latin and flamenco flavours, highlighted by additional guitaring by Daniel Santiago and Pedro Martins, and mandolin by Dirk Powell. Here, Clapton sings, "Don't break the heart of your child, don't let your fear drive you wild".

The other commendable track is 'The Call', a new piece that Clapton has included on the set list of his latest shows. Though it has a regular four-line composition structure, it has a nostalgic air, as the singer asks an old companion, who's turned alcoholic, to make a comeback for old time's sake.

Of the three collaborations with Van Morrison, only 'Stand And Deliver' rises above the ordinary. It's got an uptempo blues pattern, with the lines, "Do you wanna be a free man or do you wanna be a slave, do you wanna wear these chains, until you're lying in the grave?" The other two songs - the protest-ridden 'This Has Got To Stop' and 'The Rebels' - do justice to neither Clapton nor Morrison.

Of the covers, 'Moon River' has an amazing guitar spell by Jeff Beck. Composed by Henry Mancini and sung by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film Breakfast At Tiffany's, it has been covered by many. The vocals fall short on this one, though the instrumentation is exceptional.

The rendition of Charlie Chaplin's iconic 'Smile', from the 1936 movie Modern Times, seems like a forced excerise, like the take on Chuck Berry's 'You've Changed' or the country ballad 'Always On My Mind', featuring guest vocalist Bradley Walker. However, the traditional folk song 'Sam Hall' has been well done, with its singalong lines and rustic Celtic flavours.

The songs 'How Could We Know' (with vocalist Judith Hill), 'One Woman' and 'Misfotune' just act as fillers. If they'd been skipped along with a couple of covers, this may have been a tighter and more enjoyable exercise. One also misses a really path-breaking guitar solo. Like it or not, that's something one has always taken for granted when E.C. is here. This collection is at the çrossroads of good and average, leaning more towards the latter.