Album Info

The Road to Escondido

Rock - 2006

Eric Clapton's successful '05 Cream reunion spurred the rock legend to revisit a less-heralded, if more personally inspiring muse from... more

Tracklist

1

Danger

5:32 min
2

Heads in Georgia

4:09 min
3

Missing Person

4:26 min
4

When the War is Over

3:48 min
5

Sporting Life Blues

3:31 min
6

Dead End Road

3:27 min
7

It's Easy

4:16 min
8

Hard to Thrill

5:10 min
9

Anyway the Wind Blows

3:54 min
10

Three Little Girls

2:44 min
11

Don't Cry Sister

3:08 min
12

Last Will and Testament

3:57 min
13

Who Am I Telling You?

4:06 min
14

Ride the River

4:35 min

About The Road to Escondido

Eric Clapton's successful '05 Cream reunion spurred the rock legend to revisit a less-heralded, if more personally inspiring muse from the musician's past, Oklahoma country-blues savant J. J. Cale. While Cale's ambling, laid-back ethos became a touchstone of Clapton's early solo career via hit covers of "Cocaine" and "After Midnight," this marks the first true collaboration between the laid back Okie blues man and the English guitar god he's so deeply influenced. The album's billing is more than alphabetical: 11 of the tracks are distinctive Cale originals while the acoustic folk of Clapton's "Three Little Girls" mines familiar pop territory, guest John Mayer contributes the jaded "Hard to Thrill" and the veteran duo turn in a languorously winning cover of "Sporting Life Blues." The signature Cale/Clapton sound makes "Danger" and the single "Ride the River" feel like familiar old friends, while the shuffling "Missing Person" and "When the War is Over" evoke even deeper American roots. Clapton's ever lyrical, restrained fretwork here is a stark contrast to his fiery Cream grandstanding, underscoring the truly collaborative musical partnership at the heart of one Clapton's warmest, most satisfying modern releases.