Eric Clapton ~ Reptile

Despite the signals in other recent Clapton recordings, the title track of Reptile will have some of his followers checking their CD decks. It's not blues, nor reggae, but a very plausible take on smooth bossa nova guitar, redolent of George Benson or Ronny Jordan. Clapton's voice, not always convincing in the past, is also on exceptional form, if not reinvented: it's almost always resonant, sure-footed and tuneful, particularly on his growling cover of Ray Charles's "Come Back Baby". Stylistic departures appear elsewhere too, in the samba of "Believe In Life" and the jazz balladry of "I Want A Little Girl", but the blues remains Clapton's cornerstone. It's there in whatever style he plays, especially in tunes like "Got You On My Mind" and "Broken Down". Fans of his guitar-playing might wish he'd stepped back from the mike more often, but on any terms this is one of Slowhand's strongest albums for many years.

1 Reptile

2 Got You on My Mind

3 Travelin' Light

4 Believe in Life

5 Come Back Baby

6 Broken Down

7 Find Myself

8 I Ain't Gonna Stand for It

9 I Want a Little Girl

10 Second Nature

11 Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight

12 Modern Girl

13 Superman Inside

14 Son & Sylvia