After the guest-star-drenched
No Reason to Cry
failed to make much of an impact commercially,
Eric Clapton
returned to using his own band for
Slowhand
. The difference is substantial -- where
struggled hard to find the right tone,
opens with the relaxed, bluesy shuffle of
J.J. Cale
's
"Cocaine"
and sustains it throughout the course of the album. Alternating between straight
blues
(
"Mean Old Frisco"
),
country
"Lay Down Sally"
), mainstream
rock
"Cocaine,"
"The Core"
), and
pop
"Wonderful Tonight"
doesn't sound schizophrenic because of the band's grasp of the material. This is laid-back virtuosity -- although
Clapton
and his band are never flashy, their playing is masterful and assured. That assurance and the album's eclectic material make
rank with
461 Ocean Boulevard
as
's best albums. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine