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SESSIONS FOR ROBERT J
(Duck/Reprise)
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Clapton takes another swing at the legacy of his musical hero with this DVD, a follow-up to his stilted 2004 CD release Me and Mr. Johnson (Reprise). This time, the results are substantially better. As bassist Nathan East suggests early in the program, which initially captures Clapton and his touring band in electric rehearsals for their 2004 summer road trip, "some stuff sounds better than the record." Actually, almost all of it does. By the time of this filming, Clapton and crew had had more time to live with their arrangements and were preparing for the leader’s Dallas guitar festival as well as the tour, both of which may have added the heat of audience expectations to the performances. The best of the electric tunes is a blazing "Kind Hearted Woman Blues" that bristles with the energy and vocal authority the album version lacked. Much of Sessions for Robert J is acoustic, so after the rehearsals, the camera follows Clapton and his current guitar partner, Doyle Bramhall Jr., into the hotel where Johnson recorded in 1937. There they play duet versions of "Hell Hound on My Trail," "Me and the Devil Blues," "Love in Vain," and others that ring with passion and virtuosity. Bramhall’s slide accents the clean, beautifully articulated lines of Clapton’s devoted six-sting interpretations and unrestrained singing. EC also adds his insightful analysis of Johnson’s technique and discusses his relationship to the late Delta blues master’s songs. The disc ties up with a few solo numbers and Clapton’s final declaration of his love for Johnson’s moody mastery, but by then, he’s explained everything we need to know with his moving performances. The set comes with a bonus CD featuring 11 of the DVD’s 19 tunes.
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