JJ Cale

I have an image in my mind of JJ Cale. He is sitting on his front porch, seat leaning back and one leg up on the rail while he stares out into the sunset, picks his guitar and completely ignores the assembled masses of lesser souls who have gathered to bask in his glory.

This album, his first in over 5 years, does nothing to dispel that image. It is quintessential JJ Cale and completely in line with the music he has been making for the last 40 years or so and it is an absolute joy to listen to and enjoy; just like every album he has released since 'Naturally’ all those years ago.
There are some new tricks – he sings scat on the opener 'Who Knew’ which gives it a real sense of fun and amusement and he picks a banjo on 'Strange Days’ – apparently an instrument he has played for years but never before on record. But in the main the songs sound like you would expect JJ Cale to sound: even paced and relaxed with a slightly country-ish air and a laid back intensity that you just cannot better. Even ehen he ups the pace as on 'Cherry Street’ he still has a relaxed air to the sound – he jogs rather than runs down Cherry Street.

It is easy to be lulled into the rhythm of the man and to simply float along with his music but that would miss the essential quality of his music – he has time and space to say the things he wants to say and his music pushes you along at the same pace – you simply cannot get hurried while listening to JJ Cale.

There is one collaboration with Eric Clapton, the title track 'Roll On’ and it fits perfectly into the scheme of the album – Clapton can play like JJ Cale, it isn’t the other way around.


http://www.because.tv/public/JJ_CALE/Roll_On_en.html

http://www.jjcale.com/
http://www.myspace.com/jjcale