J.J.Cale Discography. Part 2 (1989-2009)

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J.J.Cale Discography. Part 2 (1989-2009)

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With his laid-back rootsy style, J.J. Cale is best known for writing "After Midnight" and "Cocaine," songs that Eric Clapton later made into hits. But Cale's influence wasn't only through songwriting – his distinctly loping sense of rhythm and shuffling boogie became the blueprint for the adult-oriented roots rock of Clapton and Mark Knopfler, among others. Cale's refusal to vary the sound of his music over the course of his career caused some critics to label him as a one-trick pony, but he managed to build a dedicated cult following with his sporadically released recordings.

Born in Oklahoma City but raised in Tulsa, OK, Cale played in a variety of rock & roll bands and Western swing groups as a teenager, including one outfit that also featured Leon Russell. In 1959, at the age of 21, he moved to Nashville, where he was hired by the Grand Ole Opry's touring company. After a few years, he returned to Tulsa, where he reunited with Russell and began playing local clubs. In 1964, Cale and Russell moved to Los Angeles with another local Oklahoma musician, Carl Radle.
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Shortly after he arrived in Los Angeles, Cale began playing with Delaney & Bonnie. He only played with the duo for a brief time, beginning a solo career in 1965. That year, he cut the first version of "After Midnight," which would become his most famous song. Around 1966, Cale formed the Leathercoated Minds with songwriter Roger Tillison. The group released a psychedelic album called A Trip Down Sunset Strip the same year.

Deciding that he wouldn't be able to forge a career in Los Angeles, Cale returned to Tulsa in 1967. Upon his return, he set about playing local clubs. Within a year, he had recorded a set of demos. Radle obtained a copy of the demos and forwarded it to Denny Cordell, who was founding a record label called Shelter with Leon Russell. Shelter signed Cale in 1969. The following year, Eric Clapton recorded "After Midnight," taking it to the American Top 20 and thereby providing Cale with needed exposure and royalties. In December 1971, Cale released his debut album, Naturally, on Shelter Records; the album featured the Top 40 hit "Crazy Mama," as well as a re-recorded version of "After Midnight," which nearly reached the Top 40, and "Call Me the Breeze," which Lynyrd Skynyrd later covered. Cale followed Naturally with Really, which featured the minor hit "Lies," later that same year.

Following the release of Really, J.J. Cale adopted a slow work schedule, releasing an album every other year or so. Okie, his third album, appeared in 1974. Two years later, he released Troubadour, which yielded "Hey Baby," his last minor hit, as well as the original version of "Cocaine," a song that Clapton would later cover. By this point, Cale had settled into a comfortable career as a cult artist and he rarely made any attempt to break into the mainstream. One more album on Shelter Records, 5, appeared in 1979 and then he switched labels, signing with MCA in 1981. MCA only released one album (1981's Shades) and Cale moved to Mercury Records the following year, releasing Grasshopper.

In 1983, Cale released his eighth album, 8. The album became his first not to chart. Following its release, Cale left Mercury and entered a long period of seclusion, reappearing in late 1990 with Travel Log, which was released on the British independent label Silvertone; the album appeared in America the following year. 10 was released in 1992. The album failed to chart, but it re-established his power as a cult artist. He moved to the major label Virgin in 1994, releasing Close to You the same year. It was followed by Guitar Man in 1996. Cale returned to recording in 2003, releasing To Tulsa and Back in 2004 on the Sanctuary label and The Road to Escondido, a collaborative effort with Clapton, in 2006 on Reprise. Roll On appeared in 2009 on Rounder Records. A CD/DVD set drawn from sessions Cale recorded with Leon Russell on keyboards in 1979, In Session at Paradise Studio, appeared early in 2013.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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J.J.Cale Discography. Part 2 (1989-2009)

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Cale's first album in six years finds him taking a more aggressive stance in terms of tempos and playing, although he remains a man with a profound sense of the groove and, especially as a singer, a minimalist. But as he says, "Shuffle or die."

by William Ruhlmann

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J.J.Cale Discography. Part 2 (1989-2009)

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There are no major surprises on Cale's tenth outing; fans get the same dependable, unassuming, comfy results, like a well-worn but form-fitting pair of slippers. Subtle licks percolate and resonate from the front-porch jam session on "Jailer" and "Low Rider." "Lonesome Train" and "Shady Grove" choogle along, as amiable as they are hypnotic. The closest thing to a twist comes with the phased vocals and spiralling guitar runs of "Digital Blues." It would be easy to imagine Number 10 getting completely buried behind a wash of '90s white noise, but for those prepared to kick off their boots and sit a spell, Cale's latest offers up some seductive rewards.

by Roch Parisien

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J.J.Cale Discography. Part 2 (1989-2009)

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On the two albums that preceded CLOSER TO YOU, TRAVEL LOG and NUMBER 10, J.J. Cale adopted a more basic musical approach. This album continues the trend. Cale plays a few songs alone (though the overdubbed parts sound remarkably spare), including the title track. "Closer to You" finds him electronically treating his vocals, a technique that surprisingly makes him sound as down-to-earth as ever. The set ends with the hypnotically grooving instrumental "Steve's Song." The set is bolstered by two bass players (electric and acoustic), three percussionists (including Jim Keltner), three guitarists (including Cale), two keyboardists (Spooner Oldham and Bill Payne), and three horn players. With the dazzling CLOSER TO YOU, J.J. Cale finds ever-newer surprises in his own remarkable corner of the musical world.

by Rovi

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J.J.Cale Discography. Part 2 (1989-2009)

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J.J. Cale's albums usually sound interchangeable, and his 12th release, Guitar Man, is no exception. Although he has recorded Guitar Man as a one-man band effort, it sounds remarkably relaxed and laid-back, like it was made with a seasoned bar band. That doesn't mean there's much excitement on the album, but Cale's music has never been about excitement – it's more about laying back and letting the music flow. Of course, that approach results in remarkably uneven records, and Guitar Man is no exception. There's a handful of very good songs, but there's nothing on the level of his previous classics. It's just another pleasant J.J. Cale album, nothing more but nothing less, either.

by Thom Owens

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Cale's live performance style does nothing to quell his reputation for laid-back but pristine guitar playing and reserved "Mississippi John Hurt"-style delivery. A man who truly appreciates the value of restraint, Cale leaves plenty of room for his immaculate guitar lines, even to the point of irony on an ambling version of the previously insistent "Mama Don't." This collection, which was gleaned from an assortment of live shows dating from 1990-1996, finds Cale allowing his songs to unfold organically. Of particular note is the lilting "Magnolia." Less nostalgic than when it first appeared on 1971's Naturally, this version, recorded at Carnegie Hall in 1996, is crisper and more clipped, replacing the original's sense of longing with the resigned confidence that permeates this entire set.

by Travis Drageset

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J.J.Cale Discography. Part 2 (1989-2009)

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On his first studio outing in eight years, the mythical Okie troubadour turns in a solid set of his trademark dusty blues tunes. What is not so typical, as with Travel Log from 1990, is that Cale steeps himself in technology and evokes the moods and frameworks of music that intersect with the blues or stand in opposition to them. The keyboards, drum loops, and horns on this record are as pervasive as the guitars. Needless to say, this requires an attitude adjustment on the part of the listener. This is not to say there aren't plenty of live musicians here; there are. It's just that the sheeny beats and clean synth lines feel odd when juxtaposed against the murky lyrics and Cale's wispy, smoke-weathered voice. His stinging Stratocaster lead lines, spare and razor taut – especially when ringed with distortion – are plentiful, as are his tight-knit song constructions. Standouts on this set include the new West funk of "New Lover," the shuffling "New Step," the skittering "The Problem," the delightfully rambling "Fancy Dancer," the burning road-dog rock of "Motormouth," and the jazzy, gypsy swing in "These Blues." There are a couple of ballads on the set that are unconventional, as well, in "Homeless," and in the beautiful "Blues for Mama." There is even a Latin track on "Rio" that feels more like a merengue than a samba. The album closes with Cale playing a lone banjo on "Another Song," a mournful Appalachian ballad that feels like it comes from out of the heart of the Dust Bowl, it's full of ghosts and shadows and aches with the weight and displacement of longing as history. A fine effort.

by Thom Jurek

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J.J.Cale Discography. Part 2 (1989-2009)

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The folks at Time Life would like you to think that this is a treasure box filled with forgotten gems from J.J. Cale's long career. It's full, all right, of tracks recorded between 1971 and 1993. But there was good reason to leave them off the albums they were recorded for. Most were cut with a band between 1973 and 1982, though even the cover is wrong here, since there is a reading of Waylon Jennings' classic "Waymore's Blues" cut with largely uncredited musicians in 1971. Unfortunately, it adds nothing to the original. The players included here have been among Nashville and Los Angeles' prize session musicians, from drummer Kenny Buttrey and keyboardist David Briggs to bassist Tommy Cogbill and guitarist Steve Gibson. Add Bobby Emmons on B-3 as well as Glen D. Hardin, Richard Thompson, Spooner Oldham, Tim Drummond, and vocalist Christine Lakeland (who wrote "Seven Day Woman" back in 1983), and you have quite a collection of stars. But these feel more like finished demos than polished recordings. The plethora of covers – such as the Jennings tune, Randy Newman's "Rollin'," Leon Russell's "My Cricket," and Eric Clapton's "Golden Ring" (which is so close to Clapton's own phrasing that it's difficult for a minute or two to tell who the vocalist is) – suffer from Cale's limited vocal abilities and the rather lazy presentation. They're laid-back, to be sure, but that's pretty much all they are. Needless to say, Cale's own tunes come off a bit better, such as those cut at Bradley's Barn in 1973 like "Since You Said Goodbye" with Mac Gayden and Drummond, and the country weeper "My Baby and Me," recorded at another studio in Tennessee. They lope and crawl, but they contain the soul and gut feel of some of Cale's better work. His 1982 demo version for "Lawdy Mama" is great, as is "Ooh La La," written by Cale and Lakeland. Recorded in 1980, the pair sing beautifully together; it's a sexy blues and swamp rock tune with a horn section that works like a charm, as does the aforementioned "Seven Day Woman," which seems like it was written specifically for Cale by Lakeland. About half of this is worth hearing once because it's somewhat interesting; the rest is for fanatics only, and even that's a stretch.

by Thom Jurek

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J.J.Cale Discography. Part 2 (1989-2009)

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While songwriter J.J. Cale has established himself as an elusive and even reluctant legend in popular music with his sporadic string of releases over the last 38 years, he's never drastically changed his approach. Cale is a workmanlike songwriter whose roots in blues, Okie folk, and roots rock music have been informing his tales of travel, nocturnal pleasure, and everyday life all the while. Even the acclaimed but spaced out Travel Log (which was Cale's equivalent to Neil Young's Trans) never managed to root his sound that far afield from its wellspring. 2009's Roll On, is more strange, laid-back grooves and road-weary tales of quark strangeness and charm from an inveterate master. Where the erratic but acclaimed Road to Escondido with Eric Clapton reeked of laziness and kitsch, Roll On is steeped deep in slow boogie, slower jump jazz, swampy blues, and minor-key laid-back guitar workouts. Cale not only plays guitar and sings here, but on almost all of these cuts he does double and triple duty on drums, bass, and even Rhodes piano! His guests – including Dave Teegarden and Jim Keltner on drums on a track each, and Clapton on one number – only appear on four of these dozen tracks. Check, "Who Knew?," the jazzy shuffle that opens the set. Cale plays everything but the drum kit (Teegarden), and lays down a smoking set of Wes Montgomery-esque chords as well as some funky Rhodes. His syncopated vocals all slip right down the backbone of the blues with lyrics worthy of Louis Jordan. "Where the Sun Don't Shine" commences with some spooky synth loops (that could have come from Travel Log), and beefy guitars, with a rudimentary snare and hi-hat keeping the I-IV-V progression moving and popping. The guitars are pure Cale choogle and the bassline is just off enough from the main rhythmic progression to add a freaky twist. Other standouts include the acoustic electric boogie "Strange Days," with some mutant five-string banjo and mandolin work from the artist; the triple-time, space groove of "Fonda-Lina" that feels like it was taken from a B-movie soundtrack during a motel lounge scene, and the popping roots rock of the title track with Slowhand and Keltner. This is a set that proves that Cale is still a vital artist who has a few interesting tricks up his sleeve, even if he doesn't change his attack all that much. Hell, he doesn't need to, he's got weight, sleight of hand, and the Okie soul in every cell of his being, and it all comes out in the tunes. This one is solid from top to bottom.

by Thom Jurek