409 - Eric Clapton - 461 Ocean Boulevard

[csberry]

If you are a classic rock fan that is curious about the blues, this is the album for you. This Clapton album does a fine job of polishing the blues to the point that it is nearly pop sounding. There is nothing gritty about this album. Songs of the type I've already heard several times from other blues legends are included here, but sound clear, contain more artistic flair and complication, and are performed at a relaxed pace that sounds more like a backyard gathering jam as opposed to a performance at a juke joint.

I feel two things towards this album: 1) relaxed from the smoothness of the production and song pacing and 2) boredom from that same smoothness. It is a good sounding album and I immediately can see how people would love to have that as a comfort album to play around the house on a whim. Unfortunately, I wasn't wowed to the album. After the third listen, I was still searching out solid opinions on the songs I liked.

Songs I knew I liked: "I Shot the Sheriff"

Songs I didn't know but now like: None stand out.

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: None.