Almost every music critic I’ve read recently has not had kind
words for Eric Clapton’s latest release
Pilgrim – I have yet to read any good press on Clapton’s
first release of original material since 1989’s
Journeyman.
In that time, Clapton has had to deal with the devastating death
of his son Conor, his elevation to musical sainthood courtesy of
his soul-purging “Tears In Heaven,” his return to hardcore blues
and nod to present-day hipness by recording “Change The World” with
Babyface. With everything Clapton has been through, we should be
thankful that he didn’t just throw in the towel after his son’s
death.
But
Pilgrim also shows one more thing Clapton has lost over nine
years – his edge. This album lacks the soul and emotion that
Clapton could pour into one note on his well-worn Stratocaster, and
is incredibly sterile.
Clapton is still reeling from Conor’s death – the leadoff track
“My Father’s Eyes” is evidence enough of this. It is a painfully
honest track, where Clapton struggles to come to grips with his
loss, creating a song that is as beautiful, if not as tear-jerking,
as “Tears In Heaven”. Some have criticized the fact that “My
Father’s Eyes” sounds a lot like “Change the World,” but in this
case, it is very appropriate. Another highlight of this album which
is a tribute to Clapton’s son is “Circus,” a song he performed at
his MTV “Unplugged” session. (It’s not on the
Unplugged album, but I have the FM simulcast with this
song… he did it, trust me.)
Unfortunately, this is where the words of praise stop. The
raminder of
Pilgrim shows the dangers of staying away from the studio
for so long. It almost seems like Clapton is searching for his
voice for the ’90s, and fails to grasp either that or hipness. Many
of the songs on
Pilgrim sound like “Change The World” versions – and the use
of drum synthesizers is a major distraction. (Why Clapton didn’t
utilize the skills of Steve Gadd more often is beyond me.)
Some tracks start off strongly, like “River Of Tears” and “Needs
His Woman,” but they quickly fall apart under the weakness of the
lyrics and later songwriting. Others, like the title track, are
just plain annoying – Clapton takes one riff and beats it to
death.
By the time that Clapton finds his focus, as he does on “Born In
Time,” it almost is too little, too late – something tells me that
many listeners will probably have bailed before then.
If anything can be pinpointed as the main problem with
Pilgrim, it’s that Clapton almost tries too hard to update
his sound for the ’90s – let’s face it, it was a sound that didn’t
need updating. It brought him success with such songs as “Lay Down
Sally,” “I Can’t Stand It” and “Forever Man” – why screw with
something that works?
Clapton is much better than
Pilgrim displays – if anything, this might be a sign to
Clapton that he should make it a habit of visiting his local studio
at least more often than the dentist. Those who loved his
collaboration with Babyface will probably like the new-age Clapton.
Those of us who long for the days of “Slowhand,” two words: keep
lookin’.
