A reptile, according to Eric Clapton, is something of a bloke, as in some local character you might share a pint with down at the pub. So this 14-song collection is aptly named: If it were a barfly, it wouldn't turn heads when it entered the bar, but it wouldn't empty the place, either. Working with essentially the same team that put together '00's
Riding with the King (sans, of course, B.B. King),
Reptile feels like a summary of the many guises Clapton has adopted in his illustrious past. Blues has always been the backbone of EC's music and here he tackles Walter Davis's "Come Back Baby" with surefootedness. Clapton has mined J.J. Cale's fine-and-mellow repertoire in the past, coming up with the hits "Cocaine" and "After Midnight"; here he revives Cale's "Travelin' Light" with unfussy aplomb. He kicks things off with an instrumental samba, ventures back into lite rock, and mixes originals and covers, the latter bunch including Stevie Wonder's "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" and James Taylor's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight." In the end, it's apparent this reptile is something of a chameleon.
--Steven Stolder
Customer Review: Not Your Usual Clapton -- but GREAT CD!
The first time I played Reptile I was disappointed. As an avid Clapton fan this album was not at all what I expected. The second time I liked it a bit more. The third time I listened to it I was hooked, and Reptile has been playing continuously in my car for about 6 months now. What a great collection of tunes! The great thing about Clapton is that he constantly expands the range his music. Devoted Clapton fans need to stay loose and try to go along for the ride.
Customer Review: YOU CAN'T PLEASE ALL OF THE PEOPLE ALL OF THE TIME
WHILST I'M NOT AN AVID FAN OF ERIC CLAPTON, I DO LIKE SOME OF HIS MUSIC QUITE A LOT. THIS ALBUM IS AN ECLECTIC MIX OF SONGS AND STYLES - LATIN AMERICAN, JAZZ AND URBAN BLUES INFLUENCES, COUNTRY-ROCK, POP ETC. THE OVERALL SOUND IS WARM AND, FOR THE MOST PART, RELAXED; BUT THE SOUND IS ALSO RATHER 'MUDDY' AND I THINK THE WHOLE ALBUM WOULD HAVE BENEFITTED FROM MUCH LEANER PRODUCTION. EC's VOCALS, AT TIMES, SOUND STRAINED AND HOARSE. BACKING VOCALS (THE IMPRESSIONS) DON'T ALWAYS SEEM APPROPRIATE. THE MUSCISIANSHIP IS COMPETENT AND EC's PLAYING IS FINE - THERE JUST ISN'T A LOT OF IT (THE 2 INSTRUMENTAL TRACKS ASIDE). I QUITE ENJOYED THE FOLLOWING TRACKS : REPTILE (INSTRUMENTAL) (Eric Clapton) - This is a samba (bossa nova ?). The backing instruments (organ, bass, percussion) are quite restrained - a subtle sound. EC's playing reminds me a bit of George Benson but without the improvisations. TRAVELIN' LIGHT (J J Cale) - EC usually does decent cover versions of J J Cale songs and this is no exception. This version features driving percussion and a couple of nice slide guitar solos. It's a while since I've heard the original but, as I recall, it has a crisper more natural sound (no doubt due, in part, to the sparse production that J J Cale adopts). SUPERMAN INSIDE (Eric Clapton/Doyle Bramhall II/Susannah Melvoil) - of all the tracks, this one gets the closest to 'rocking' but it never really manages to 'take off'. There is some good slide guitar playing (I think Doyle Bramhall II takes the lead on this track). THERE ARE 2 BLUES TRACKS - 'GOT YOU ON MY MIND' AND 'COME BACK BABY' AND THERE IS SOME FINE (BUT RATHER BRIEF) GUITAR PLAYING ON BOTH. THE REMAINING TRACKS ARE A MUNDANE COLLECTION OF SONGS ALL SHARING A COMMON DELIVERY WHICH, AT BEST, IS PLEASANT BUT RATHER BLAND AND AT WORST, IS DOWNRIGHT DREARY. EVEN WITH THE FEW TRACKS THAT I LIKED, MY ENJOYMENT WAS LESS THAN IT COULD HAVE BEEN (THANKS TO THE OVER-PRODUCTION AND LARGELY SUPERFLUOUS BACKING VOCALS). FANS WHO LIKE EC PLAYING RAW, GRITTY BLUES OR HEAVIER BLUES-ROCK FUSIONS WILL BE LESS THAN ENTHRALLED. THE ALBUM MAY APPEAL, ALBEIT WITH SOME RESERVATIONS, TO THOSE WHO LIKE EC's 'LAID BACK' COUNTRY-ROCK STYLE; BUT I WOULD DESCRIBE THE APPROACH ON THIS ALBUM AS LANGUID RATHER THAN 'LAID BACK'. I SUPPOSE THE ALBUM DEMONSTRATES THAT EC IS A COMPETENT AND VERSATILE GUITARIST BUT, ON THIS EVIDENCE, LITTLE ELSE.
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