Originally released in 2000, Riding with the King is actually one of three blues-oriented albums Eric Clapton conceived and executed during this phase of his career. 2004’s Me and Mr. Johnson was comprised of songs written and originally recorded by the icon of the genre Robert Johnson, while From the Cradle, released a decade earlier, consisted of a more broadly-sourced collection of covers in the same vein.
Reissued in remixed, remastered and expanded form for its 20th Anniversary, Slowhand’s collaboration with B.B. King isn’t exactly lavish repackage, but the inclusion of two tracks heretofore unavailable, recorded during the original sessions, offers potential for reconfiguring the track sequence (at least on CD) an approach that considerably alters the listening experience.
Its title song from the erudite pen of John Hiatt, this rendition “Riding with the King” is largely bereft of the tongue-in-cheek tone intrinsic to the tune and is, in fact, as homogeneous as much of Clapton’s studio work over the years. Yet it nevertheless rightly posits B.B. as its focal point via his spoken words and the elder statesman is also at the vocal forefront of a heart-wrenching “Ten Long Years,” where fulsome guitar exchanges between the two principals, like those also on “Worried Life Blues,” evince genuine instrumental eloquence. Meanwhile, the acoustic textures that dominate there and during “Key to the Highway” aid immeasurably in guaranteeing this version transcends the familiarity of the song itself.
On the aforementioned pair of roots-oriented records, Eric’s participating band members displayed a tendency to play too correctly for their own good. In contrast here, pedigreed players including Jim Keltner and Joe Sample acquit themselves much more stylishly, despite having those efforts devoted to some prosaic choices of material, namely Isaac Hayes’ & David Porter’s (“Hold On I’m Coming”) and Johnny Mercer & Harold Arlen’s “Come Rain Or Come Shine.” But the contributions of guitarist Doyle Bramhall II, a prior collaborator of Clapton’s on stage and in the studio, serve to balance those picks of standards. “Marry You” and “I Wanna Be” leaven the predominant blues flavor of the album with a rock and roll/ pop sensibility in line with EC’s more mainstream efforts.
For purists, however, the substitution of the previously-unreleased blues tunes, “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” and “Let Me Love You Baby,” may well have resulted in a uniformly authentic piece of work; the dobro-inflected former might well have gone on twice its length, for example, while the apparent spontaneity of the moment in the latter may well be the most closely-shared moment on this expanded release. The pair of headliners definitely align with two more sterling cuts, not coincidentally perhaps, both composed by King with Jules Bihari: “Days Of Old” and “When My Heart Beats Like A Hammer” ring true, loud and clear, as a personal expression from the heart(s) through the voice(s) and, more notably, through the guitar(s) of the co-author and Clapton. The most articulate expression that occurs throughout this hour-duration playing time courses through those instruments and the understated panache and grace B.B. King demonstrates here, clarified by original producer Simon Climie’s engineering of the sound, considerably elevates Eric’s own performance.
The latter rises to the occasion in the esteemed company of his hero elsewhere, too further substantiating the impression that the archetypal guitar hero from Great Britain is at his best when challenged, implicitly or otherwise, by superlative musicians such as ‘Blues Boy.’ Hopefully, the man once likened to God will benefit from similarly-provocative mentorship when the time comes to initiate a creative dialogue the likes of which constitutes Riding with the King.
