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Rating:
Reptile is a term of endearment, used in a much the same way as "toe rag" or "moosh". It is used sparingly and with the greatest respect, it's not an insult, it's a sign of recognition.
Clean, honest, balanced, intimate, and calm, with an excellent team of musicians. 14 tracks that talk about a man and his music, a blend of blues sounds filtered through acoustic and refined ballads and tributes to classical authors, in this fascinating work from 2001.
Clapton is more than ever a poet, spare and essential in sound, yet intimate and refined. Blending the typically blues sound with South American essences like bossa nova ends up making the entire work even more melancholy and introspective. The music speaks, just as the silences speak, and the overall retro taste is pleasant and surprising. The difference is already noticeable in "Reptile", the opening piece that gives the album its title: an instrumental track with a pleasant and unusual rhythm, where slowhand plays with new samba-flavored experiments. "Got You on My Mind" respects the typical R&blues sounds in which Clapton moves with great ease, in a relaxed atmosphere specifically created by Joe Thomas and Howard Biggs. A tribute to J.J. Cale in "Travelin' Light" with rock structures. Clapton does not like to overdo it, and his voice is warmer and more controlled than ever. Again, intimate and Latin-inspired atmospheres, which unexpectedly break the set trajectory, in "Believe in Life." It is a very soft piece that takes up the concept of the opening track and the personal interpretation key of the album. Mixing and alternating pieces definable by Clapton's classic style with the "new and experimental" atmospheres that emerged from the artist's soul in the creative phase, make the album absolutely balanced, measured, and sincere.
"Come Back Baby" is a Ray Charles song, and Clapton does everything to convey the soul of the piece, a classic of the genre. "Broken Down" is by Simon Clime and Dennis Morgan and has a delightful slow-blues atmosphere, slow, with a rich and harmonious structure. "Find Myself" is by Clapton, with a "salon" atmosphere, fun, playful, very pleasant in tones, choirs, and soft pianism. "I Ain't Gonna Stand For It" is an old Stevie Wonder piece, but it has a cheerful, fresh, dynamic, and energetic flavor. Here Clapton acts like a guru.
"I Want a Little Girl" is a piece by Murray Mencher and Billy Moll, and it has a vintage and languid flavor of the more "desperate" blues. "Second Nature" adheres to the expected standards without standing out in affectations. Did you know that James Taylor ventured into an R&B piece? It is "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight, a country ballad about passionate love with recognizable sounds, an exercise in style. Let's return to Clapton's creative side, with the use of personal influences already expressed in the first and fourth tracks. Precisely, "Modern Girl", almost filmic, sounds like a little old-time tale told with disarming delicacy and which closes mysteriously and elusively. "Superman Inside" is energetic, with a much deeper and metallic sound, almost returning to the atmosphere of "Pilgrim," the previous album. A splendid closing, with "Son & Sylvia", a very melancholic acoustic track. It starts very softly with overlapping guitars, still played by Clapton, one arpeggiated and one solo, for a sound that gradually enriches with harmonica, brushes, and strings. A very heartfelt song.
A multichromatic album, where Clapton mixes new creative expression with classic parentheses, thus doing everything not to inflate the listener with a single theme: the result is excellent, for a work to be enjoyed from start to finish.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
02 Got You on My Mind (04:30)
by Joe Thomas & Howard Biggs
I've got you on my mind, I'm feeling kind of sad and low.
Got you on my mind, feeling kind of sad and low.
I'm wondering where you are, wondering why you had to go.
Tears begin to fall every time I hear your name.
Tears begin to fall every time I hear your name.
But since you went away, nothing seems to be the same.
No matter how I try,
My heart just don't see why
I can't forget you.
If ever it should be
You want to come back to me,
You know I'd let you.
First Verse
Chorus
First Verse
I'm wondering where you are, wondering why you had to go.
I'm wondering where you are, wondering why you had to go.
13 Superman Inside (05:07)
Living, loving, ain't going to waste my life.
Singing music, someday the sun don't shine.
I don't want to be the one,
The one that can never say,
"I need to let it out, won't you let me in."
Give it all up, surrender thankfully.
Fall down on my knees, my hands open wide.
I don't want to be the one,
The one that can never say,
"I need to let it out, won't you let me in."
Look in the mirror, even with a broken heart I'm fine.
Keep on pushing, getting closer to peace of mind.
Look in the mirror, even with a broken heart I'm fine.
Living is so sweet now with Superman inside.
No more running, ain't going to hide away.
I'm standing outside in the pouring rain.
'Cause I don't want to be the one,
The one that can never say,
"I need to let it out, won't you let me in."
Chorus
Chorus
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