Album review: Eric Clapton, Old Sock (Bushbranch/Polydor)

Eric Clapton's 21st studio album is a low-powered affair – the kind of thing old rockers slip into after too long spent relaxing on some Caribbean island. Presumably aiming for the chilled-out tone of 461 Ocean Boulevard, it features blues standards remodelled as reggae skanks, bland takes on the Great American Songbook, and too much acoustic guitar and dobro. The best tracks are “Still Got the Blues”, with Steve Winwood's Hammond organ laying tints behind Clapton's gut-string guitar, and the swingy Southern rocker “Gotta Get Over”.

Download: Gotta Get Over; Still Got the Blues