There's One In Every Crowd - ERIC CLAPTON***

We've Been Told (Jesus Coming Soon)/Swing Low Sweet Chariot/Little Rachel/Don't Blame Me/The Sky Is Crying/Singin' The Blues/Better Make It Through Today/Pretty Blue Eyes/High/Opposites

There’s One In Every Crowd is one of the lesser known Eric Clapton albums and was a relative commercial failure. Recorded in Jamaica it introduced reggae influences into his sound. (US:21 UK:15)

“While it doesn't contain the all out guitar fire of other Clapton albums, it possesses a quiet fire that simmers into quite a tasty stew. A little gospel, a little reggae, and a lot of blues, Clapton has an often overlooked gem to offer here. The vocals are very laid back, but still contain a kind of sorrow with some serious blues going on.”

“What we have here is more limp reggae, gentle laidback grooves and a few really terrible originals. All done at a very slow speed; this remains one of the doziest records Clapton ever made. The high point is a tasteful remake of The Sky Is Crying, but on the whole this is tedium personified.”

“The reggae songs aren't bad, but they're not really his thing. The other songs are nice, and they carry the formula of his later 70s sound. Not a complete loss, just a big miss with few hits.”

“This recording has gospel, reggae and acoustic flavourings as well as a touch of the blues. Eric's singing is a muffled but his tone does compliment the songs very well.”

“It marks the beginning of Clapton's career when he decided that he no longer wanted to be known just as a bluesy lead guitarist. On this album there's barely a flicker of a blues solo to be heard. What you get instead is a series of songs some good, one or two mediocre, and a mixture of gospel, reggae and light pop. Most of the songs in this set are composed by Clapton, who plays in a very laid-back style.”

“No major radio singles, but plenty of mellow blues (and even a little gospel), funky riffs, moving ballads and tasteful musicianship.”

“Having become enamoured with reggae after riding Bob Marley's I Shot The Sheriff to the top of the charts around the world, E.C. chose to record in Kingston, Jamaica. Slowhand successfully dipped his toe into the reggae pool, and even managed to add an impressive Jamaican patois to his vocal style.”