At sixty, Clapton is deeply grateful to be sober and settled; the specter of his four-year-old
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son Conor's tragic death in 1991 (the subject of his 1992 ballad "Tears in Heaven") lends weight to the celebrations of "the sweet, simple moments" of family life in the title track and "Run Home to Me." Similarly, his lighthearted rendition of George Harrison's "Love Comes to Everyone" suits the album's mood and poignantly acknowledges his deceased friend. On "Revolution," a sinuous reggae shuffle, Clapton and his deft band (which, on various tracks, includes the likes of drummer Steve Gadd, bassist Nathan East, keyboardist Billy Preston and guests such as John Mayer, Robert Randolph and Steve Winwood) burn off
Back Home's polish and heat the track to a seductive simmer.
Alas, if you're looking for Slowhand to ignite the pyrotechnics, forget it. He's busy out in the backyard, playing with the girls. But as he sings on "So Tired," "Sometimes I think that I'm too old for this/I must have better things to do/But when it's time for my good-night kiss/My dreams have all come true.
Even though ol' Slowhand unleashed this album of original material after the Cream union tour, don't expect drug-addled, mind-melting psychedelia. Back Home is much tamer than even their "Tales of Brave Ulysses" -- in fact, if Edie Brickell was really a middle-aged man who wailed on the guitar, she'd sound a lot like this.
Although not Clapton's strongest record, Backless does feature "Promises," which is one of the man's very best tunes. Since this disc came right after Slowhand, it was seen as something of a letdown on its release. But the fact is, it's a good, solid record -- and nothing was going to top Slowhand.
