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I Still Do his twentieth studio album, by Eric Clapton released through the independent Bushbranch Records/Surfdog Records label.
The album is a combination of new material written by Clapton and classic songs, contemporary tunes and influences interpreted in his own style.
The album was produced by Glyn Johns, who had been producer on Clapton's successful albums Slowhand (1977) and Backless (1978).
The album cover consists of a portrait of Clapton by Peter Blake who had previously designed multiple pages of artwork for Clapton's 1991 album 24 Nights as well as a photo book, containing all of his drawings of Clapton, his band and the Royal Albert Hall in which the album was recorded from 1990 to 1991.
Such mellowed good vibes are the calling card of I Still Do, which otherwise proceeds along the same path Clapton's records follow in the 21st century: he blends covers of well-worn blues standards with a couple of J.J. Cale tunes, a few old pop standards, a Bob Dylan chestnut, and original songs that draw upon aspects of all of these.
"Spiral" and "Catch the Blues," the two EC originals that anchor the middle of the album, are handsomely crafted tunes that complement the rest of the record; they don't draw attention to themselves but rather show how hard "Cypress Grove" swings and how "Alabama Woman Blues" crawls, and reveal the lightness of "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" and "Little Man, You've Had a Busy Day."
Although "I'll Be Seeing You" ends I Still Do on a bit of a wistful note, this album is neither melancholy nor some kind of summation. It is simply Clapton being Clapton, enjoying the company of his longtime band and songs he's loved, and here he's fortunate enough to be produced by Johns, whose expert touch gives this weight and color absent from the otherwise amiable Old Sock.
That's enough to give I Still Do some resonance because Johns focuses not on the songs but the interplay: it's not a vibe record so much as it's an album about the interplay of old pros who still get a kick playing those same old changes years after they've become second nature.
Tracklist
1. "Alabama Woman Blues" (Leroy Carr) - 5:06
2. "Can't Let You Do It" (J.J. Cale) - 3:50
3. "I Will Be There" (featuring Angelo Mysterioso) (Paul Brady, John O'Kane) - 4:37
4. "Spiral" (Eric Clapton, Andy Fairweather Low, Simon Climie) - 5:04
5. "Catch the Blues" (Eric Clapton) - 4:51
6. "Cypress Grove" (Skip James) - 4:49
7. "Little Man, You've Had a Busy Day" (Maurice Sigler, Mabel Wayne, Al Hoffman) - 3:11
8. "Stones in My Passway" (Robert Johnson) - 4:03
9. "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" (Bob Dylan) - 4:02
10. "I'll Be Alright" (Traditional) - 4:23
11. "Somebody's Knockin'" (J.J. Cale) - 5:11
12. "I'll Be Seeing You" (Irving Kahal, Sammy Fain) - 5:00
Limited Edition "Denim Box" version – Bonus Tracks
13. "Lonesome"
14. "Freight Train"
Personnel
Notes
Released: 20 May 2016
Recorded: Studio, British Grove Studios
Genre - Blues rock
Length: 54:07
Label - Bushbranch/Surfdog
The album is a combination of new material written by Clapton and classic songs, contemporary tunes and influences interpreted in his own style.
The album was produced by Glyn Johns, who had been producer on Clapton's successful albums Slowhand (1977) and Backless (1978).
The album cover consists of a portrait of Clapton by Peter Blake who had previously designed multiple pages of artwork for Clapton's 1991 album 24 Nights as well as a photo book, containing all of his drawings of Clapton, his band and the Royal Albert Hall in which the album was recorded from 1990 to 1991.
Such mellowed good vibes are the calling card of I Still Do, which otherwise proceeds along the same path Clapton's records follow in the 21st century: he blends covers of well-worn blues standards with a couple of J.J. Cale tunes, a few old pop standards, a Bob Dylan chestnut, and original songs that draw upon aspects of all of these.
"Spiral" and "Catch the Blues," the two EC originals that anchor the middle of the album, are handsomely crafted tunes that complement the rest of the record; they don't draw attention to themselves but rather show how hard "Cypress Grove" swings and how "Alabama Woman Blues" crawls, and reveal the lightness of "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" and "Little Man, You've Had a Busy Day."
Although "I'll Be Seeing You" ends I Still Do on a bit of a wistful note, this album is neither melancholy nor some kind of summation. It is simply Clapton being Clapton, enjoying the company of his longtime band and songs he's loved, and here he's fortunate enough to be produced by Johns, whose expert touch gives this weight and color absent from the otherwise amiable Old Sock.
That's enough to give I Still Do some resonance because Johns focuses not on the songs but the interplay: it's not a vibe record so much as it's an album about the interplay of old pros who still get a kick playing those same old changes years after they've become second nature.
Tracklist
1. "Alabama Woman Blues" (Leroy Carr) - 5:06
2. "Can't Let You Do It" (J.J. Cale) - 3:50
3. "I Will Be There" (featuring Angelo Mysterioso) (Paul Brady, John O'Kane) - 4:37
4. "Spiral" (Eric Clapton, Andy Fairweather Low, Simon Climie) - 5:04
5. "Catch the Blues" (Eric Clapton) - 4:51
6. "Cypress Grove" (Skip James) - 4:49
7. "Little Man, You've Had a Busy Day" (Maurice Sigler, Mabel Wayne, Al Hoffman) - 3:11
8. "Stones in My Passway" (Robert Johnson) - 4:03
9. "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" (Bob Dylan) - 4:02
10. "I'll Be Alright" (Traditional) - 4:23
11. "Somebody's Knockin'" (J.J. Cale) - 5:11
12. "I'll Be Seeing You" (Irving Kahal, Sammy Fain) - 5:00
Limited Edition "Denim Box" version – Bonus Tracks
13. "Lonesome"
14. "Freight Train"
Personnel
- Eric Clapton – guitar, tambourine, lead vocals
- Paul Brady – acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- Andy Fairweather Low – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, backing vocals
- Angelo Mysterioso – acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- Simon Climie – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards
- Walt Richmond – keyboards
- Chris Stainton – keyboards
- Paul Carrack – Hammond organ, backing vocals
- Dirk Powell – accordion, mandolin, backing vocals
- Dave Bronze – bass guitar, double bass
- Henry Spinetti – drums, percussion
- Ethan Johns – percussion
- Michelle John – backing vocals
- Sharon White – backing vocals
Production
- Producer and Mixing – Glyn Johns
- Engineers – Martin Hollis and Glyn Johns
- Assistant Engineer – Rowan McIntosh
- Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering (Portland, ME).
- Art Direction and Design – Catherine Roylance
- Layout – Brice Beckham
- Artwork Technician – Matthew Gordon
- Cover Painting – Sir Peter Blake
- Photography – Catherine Roylance, Nick Roylance, Craig Stecyk, Simon Whitehead and Getty Images.
Notes
Released: 20 May 2016
Recorded: Studio, British Grove Studios
Genre - Blues rock
Length: 54:07
Label - Bushbranch/Surfdog
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