No Reason To Cry - ERIC CLAPTON***

Beautiful Thing/Carnival/Sign Language/County Jail Blues/All Our Pastimes/Hello Old Friend/Double Trouble/Innocent Times/Hungry/Black Summer Rain

No Reason To Cry is another less than inspired release from guitarist Eric Clapton, whose solo albums were always less satisfying than those where he was part of a group. This one has a guest appearance by Bob Dylan. (US:15 UK:8)

“At first listen, it sounds like a watered down version of the previous album because it has only one stand-out track, Carnival, the rest being slow-burning and not very inspired doodling. Unexpected appearance of Bob Dylan does nothing for either artist except for the surprise factor of two superstars collaborating where Clapton's playing by far overshadows Dylan's singing.”

“The guitar god mystique is starting to fade and that seems to be OK with Eric, but not necessarily so for most of his fans. He seems to have settled on laid back country-blues, and that's too bad because I believe he had more to offer. Pleasant enough I guess but where did Eric Clapton go?”

“This was made during a period when you were waiting for EC to let it rip but instead he was more into napping. It got aggravating buying his records then. However, this is still a pleasant little piece of work.”

“It's actually quite a nice album with members of The Band providing a little vocal, instrumental and songwriting support. Bob Dylan appears as well on his own Sign Language. This is perhaps not Clapton at his absolute best, but No Reason To Cry should be a strong consideration for fans of Clapton, Dylan or The Band.”

“The songs are well-written and consistent from beginning to end, with a good mix of slow and fast tunes, though none rock hard. Of course, he included a couple of blues covers, of which County Jail Blues is the best.”

“Eric Clapton and a variety of friends contribute to this assortment. The music is as diverse as the contributors. Eric does country and blues, and at times he sounds like he's in The Band. Most of the songs are good, but he holds back on his guitar playing. My favourite comes when he does what he does best: blues with his guitar at the forefront, on Double Trouble. Also Black Summer Rain must be one of his best compositions. It's a nice album, but too much of a hotch-potch.”