jj Cale Dsd

On the two albums that preceded CLOSER TO YOU, TRAVEL LOG and NUMBER 10, J.J. Cale adopted a more basic musical approach. This album continues the trend. Cale plays a few songs alone (though the overdubbed parts sound remarkably spare), including the title track. "Closer to You" finds him electronically treating his vocals, a technique that surprisingly makes him sound as down-to-earth as ever. The set ends with the hypnotically grooving instrumental "Steve's Song."

On his first studio outing in eight years, the mythical Okie troubadour turns in a solid set of his trademark dusty blues tunes. What is not so typical, as with Travel Log from 1990, is that Cale steeps himself in technology and evokes the moods and frameworks of music that intersect with the blues or stand in opposition to them. The keyboards, drum loops, and horns on this record are as pervasive as the guitars. Needless to say, this requires an attitude adjustment on the part of the listener. This is not to say there aren't plenty of live musicians here; there are. It's just that the sheeny beats and clean synth lines feel odd when juxtaposed against the murky lyrics and Cale's wispy, smoke-weathered voice.

Cale's live performance style does nothing to quell his reputation for laid-back but pristine guitar playing and reserved "Mississippi John Hurt"-style delivery. A man who truly appreciates the value of restraint, Cale leaves plenty of room for his immaculate guitar lines, even to the point of irony on an ambling version of the previously insistent "Mama Don't." This collection, which was gleaned from an assortment of live shows dating from 1990-1996, finds Cale allowing his songs to unfold organically. Of particular note is the lilting "Magnolia." Less nostalgic than when it first appeared on 1971's Naturally, this version, recorded at Carnegie Hall in 1996, is crisper and more clipped, replacing the original's sense of longing with the resigned confidence that permeates this entire set.

Eric Clapton has often stated that JJ Cale is one of the single most important figures in rock history, a sentiment echoed by many of his fellow musicians. Cale's influence on Clapton and many of today's artists cannot be understated. To honor JJ's legacy, a year after his passing, Clapton gathered a group of like-minded friends and musicians for "Eric Clapton & Friends - The Breeze (An Appreciation of JJ Cale)". With performances by Clapton, Mark Knopfler, John Mayer, Willie Nelson, Tom Petty, Derek Trucks and Don White, the album features 16 beloved JJ Cale songs and is named for the 1972 single "Call Me The Breeze".

On March 15, 2007, Eric Clapton's world tour stopped at San Diego's iPayOne Center (originally the San Diego Sports Arena and now the Valley View Casino Center). The band lineup for the tour continues to be a firm fan-favorite, with Derek Trucks and Doyle Bramhall II on guitars, Chris Stainton and Tim Carmon on keyboards, Willie Weeks on bass, Steve Jordan on drums and backing vocalists Michelle John and Sharon White During the set, EC's long-time musical inspiration, JJ Cale, sat in for five songs, including three from their Grammy-Award winning album, "The Road To Escondido", released in 2006.

A new JJ Cale album featuring previously unreleased material, Stay Around, will be released in April. The singer, songwriter and guitarist, who wrote “Call Me the Breeze,” a hit for Lynyrd Skynyrd, and “After Midnight” and “Cocaine,” made famous by Eric Clapton, died in July 2013 at 74. Compiled by his widow, the musician Christine Lakeland Cale, and his friend and longtime manager Mike Kappus, Stay Around is set for an April 26 release via Because Music. It's the first new Cale album since 2009's Roll On.

"Old Sock" is Eric Clapton's first album since 2010. The work is a collection of Clapton's favorite songs from childhood to present day. It showcases his deep appreciation of music and celebrates those who inspired him including George Gershwin, Gary Moore and Taj Mahal. Clapton has always possessed an unmatched gift for interpreting classics. Old Sock features music luminaries including Steve Gadd, Willie Weeks, Chris Stainton and Paul McCartney. Standouts include "Still Got The Blues," "All Of Me" and "Our Love Is Here To Stay". Absolutely essential.

John Cale was never very kind to his solo debut, Vintage Violence. When it was released in early 1970, Cale had been out of The Velvet Underground for less than two years. He wanted to prove he could be the songwriter, the person penning the words and melodies behind which a band could work. “I was masked on Vintage Violence,” he wrote much later. “You’re not really seeing the personality.” Indeed, Cale’s personality as a polyglot seemingly interested in everything emerged more and more on his next two solo albums, his only two for Reprise: 1972’s bracing and exploratory classical sojourn, The Academy in Peril, and 1973’s masterclass in anxious but accessible songcraft, Paris 1919. By reissuing both records in tandem, it reaffirms the artistic fearlessness Cale then fostered at the edge of 30, when all of music seemed like one inviting playpen.

John Cale was never very kind to his solo debut, Vintage Violence. When it was released in early 1970, Cale had been out of The Velvet Underground for less than two years. He wanted to prove he could be the songwriter, the person penning the words and melodies behind which a band could work. “I was masked on Vintage Violence,” he wrote much later. “You’re not really seeing the personality.” Indeed, Cale’s personality as a polyglot seemingly interested in everything emerged more and more on his next two solo albums, his only two for Reprise: 1972’s bracing and exploratory classical sojourn, The Academy in Peril, and 1973’s masterclass in anxious but accessible songcraft, Paris 1919. By reissuing both records in tandem, Domino—Cale’s home now for a dozen years—affirms the artistic fearlessness Cale then fostered at the edge of 30, when all of music seemed like one inviting playpen. This artist-sanctioned reissue of The Academy In Peril is remastered from the original tapes.