Track Listing

1. Danger
2. Heads In Georgia
3. Missing Person
4. When The War Is Over
5. Sporting Life Blues
6. Dead End Road
7. It's Easy
8. Hard To Thrill
9. Anyway The Wind Blows
10. Three Little Girls
11. Don't Cry Sister
12. Last Will And Testament
13. Who Am I Telling You
14. Ride The River

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5555 in Music
• Released on: 2006-11-06
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
JJ Cale penned two of Eric Clapton's career-defining solo hits, "Cocaine" and "After Midnight." And since Clapton has often fashioned his persona in a WWJD manner (what would JJ do?), this collaboration is long overdue. But despite the rather slick production and long list of guest backing musicians (including four bassists, four drummers, five other guitarists, and three percussionists), The Road to Escondido is still dominated more by Cale than Clapton. The relatively reticent Okie wrote 11 of the 14 tracks, and it's his low-key soufflé of blues, jazz, and country that shapes and directs the disc's tone, with Clapton along for the ride. The opening "Danger" sets the dusky mood as the duo rides a typical Cale swamp groove that gives way to a tightly wound Slowhand solo. They trade lead vocals on a lovely version of the after-hours jazz blues classic "Sporting Life Blues," and the ubiquitous John Mayer makes an impressive appearance on the subtle blues of "Hard to Thrill."

Clapton hasn't sounded this relaxed or involved in his own material for years. The traditionally laidback, if not quite snoozy, Cale responds with a comparatively energized performance, likely due to the high-profile company. When the two harmonize on the mid-tempo foot tapper "Anyway the Wind Blows," the result is so natural and spontaneous it's a shame these two didn't join forces earlier. On paper, it appears that Cale has the most to gain from partnering with an established superstar, but the fact is this collaboration yields Eric Clapton's most engaging and contagious roots-rock release in a long time. --Hal Horowitz

CD Description
J.J. Cale is perhaps best known for penning hits for Eric Clapton, including "Cocaine" and "Midnight Hour", yet he's also an accomplished and extremely talented songwriter and guitarist. While no one ever declared, "Cale is God", Clapton clearly has always thought highly of him, and in 2006, the Clapton/Cale mutual admiration society finally made its way into the studio.
The result is 14 songs' worth of the relaxed blues hybrid that Cale built his career around and that earned Clapton the nickname '"Slowhand". The duo produced allthe tracks and wrote the majority of them, with some help from guests such as Taj Mahal, Derek Trucks, the late Billy Preston, and John Mayer, who wrote the song "Hard to Thrill" for the album. THE ROAD TO ESCONDIDO is a mellow musical good time between friends, and for fans of the two musicians, it's a front-row seat to a rare and scintillating collaboration.

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Customer Reviews

Long time coming - but definitely worth the wait!
As a fan of both these two gents, this long-overdue collaboration has certainly been worth the wait. When I first heard about this release I wondered if it could possibly live up to the expectations - the answer is a resounding yes!
As 11 of the 14 tracks have been penned by JJCale there is no doubting his overall influence on the album, but the inclusion of Clapton adds a vital spark and I reckon it is one of the best albums either have done for some time. Certainly far superior to Clapton's own release earlier this year and with the inclusion of the likes of Billy Preston, Doyle Bramhall, Albert Lee and many more the album has a generous warmth which draws you in almost without you realising.
The Crossroads Dvd showed how well Cale & Clapton work together and overall this album is a definite must for any fan of either of these two artists - it would be nice if the session(s) were available on Dvd?
In a word - great!

No surprises - but surprisingly good!
When I heard the first track 'Danger' I began to wonder if I'd made a mistake with this CD, but the following track was good and 'Missing person' was even better (complete with a Derek Trucks slide solo.) I'm not a huge J.J. Cale fan but the interplay between him and Eric is really good, with both swapping vocals and guitar fills- Clapton sounds more grounded and Cale doesn't sound quite as laid back as normal, thanks partly to Eric's (and Derek's) guitar solos. There is also a nice version of the old Brownie McGee song 'Sportin' life blues'.

Although there are no big surprises here - they do pretty much exactly what you'd expect from a Cale/Clapton colaboration - what is surprising is the variety of different sounds, each track has a slightly different guitar sound or band line-up - harp on '3 little girls', fiddle on 'Dead end road'. The band sounds great throughout, (like many of Clapton's recent albums this is very much an ensemble project there are are no long guitar solos) and both men sound as though they are really enjoying themselves.

When I reached the end I immediately went back to listen to the start again ('Danger' souded better second time round) and I think this CD is going to stay in the player for quite a few weeks. For me this joint CD is much better than both their recent solo efforts and was a lot better than I expected.

Two Good Friends and One Great Album (4.5 stars),
A few years ago, Clapton was quoted saying that he was the "closest thing an English man could come to be J.J. Cale." Whether this is accurate or wishful thinking, it speaks volumes about Eric Clapton's admiration for his friend and fellow guitar slinger.

Having scored mega-hits with Cale's "Cocaine" and "After Midnight," Clapton has, again, something to thank J.J. for. The former "god" of classic Rock has not, in my opinion, put out a truly exciting album in many years but, though this is not a masterpiece, playing with Cale has done him a world of good.

The overall feel here is 100% Cale, laid back grooves and restrained Blues that, before you know it'll seep slowly into your DNA and make you sway and shuffle hopelessly. Cale capacity to say very much with very few notes is legendary and this album is further proof of it. Clapton, on his part, seems to play freed from pressures to turn out another classic and he sounds more convincing and dead-on than he has in at least a decade or two.

There are several songs that either guitar player could be proud to include in their canon. Whether you think of the sensuos "Hard To Thrill"--probably the best track here--or Cale's trademark cadences in "Danger," or the sweet "Three Little Girls," "Heads In Georgia" or "Last Will And Testament," if you like these guys you are in for a treat. No surprises nor unexpected turns, nothing "escondido"--"hidden" in Spanish--either, actually. Just the album you'd guess these two would make if they ever got together, and that's a very good thing.

All in all, this is a wonderful set of songs, played with passion but without the slightest bit of tension or need for showing off. It is an album made by two great musicians who, like any two friends, can relax in each other's presence and do what they do best: make some memorable music.