The last Eric Clapton album I did a review for was Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek and the Dominos, and boy was it an impressive album. Indeed, it is considered by most critics to be Clapton's magnum opus. However, there was more to Eric Clapton outside of his group work - generally speaking, he is thought of first and foremost as a solo artist, even if his best material was with bands such as Cream and the aforementioned Derek and the Dominos. I'd been wanting to write a review for a solo Clapton album for a while, and I decided to go with Slowhand, as it contains three songs that I'm particularly fond of, and a fourth one that I just heard for the first time and thought was pretty damn good. So here goes. The best songs are on the first half of the album - "Cocaine", "Wonderful Tonight", Lay Down Sally" and "Next Time You See Her." The first three you'll most likely recognize either from the radio or from Clapton's best of and greatest hits compilations. The middle of the album gets a bit tepid, including a lengthy 8 minutes or so track called "The Core." However, the album soon redeems itself and finishes on a pleasant note with the instrumental "Peaches and Diesel." Rated as one of Clapton's best offerings, this album offers plenty for the discerning 70s rock lover, and of course, those who are just getting into the depths of Clapton's music. "Next Time You See Her" will be my go-to Clapton song for a while, methinks. That aside, there's plenty of great stuff on this album. Check it out. A-
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