With King keeping Clapton headed in the right direction--which would be away from wimpy acoustic ballads and reworkings of his "hits"--this is a solid, if not exceptional collaboration.
The tunes draw on B.B.'s extensive catalog--"Three O'Clock Blues," "Help The Poor" (featured on King's seminal Live At The Regal), shuffles like "Days Of Old," and classics like "Key To The Highway"--plus a couple of modern nuggets from Texas guitarist/songwriter firebrand Doyle Bramhall II. With the exception of the title track, a muscular and deliberate take on an early John Hiatt tune (with fine playing by Clapton and vocal asides by King), the straight-up blues numbers fare better than the rockers (Bramhall's original versions easily outshine these covers).
In addition to featuring King's exceptional voice, a crack rhythm section (Steve Gadd and Nathan East) keeps timeless tracks like "Ten Long Years" and "Days Of Old" right in pocket--simple and fluid yet rock-solid, and provides a foundation for two exceptional--but sometimes lazy--players (check out the guitar interplay on "Hold On I'm Coming"). In particular, King shines on his emotional "When My Heart Beats Like A Hammer," while Clapton takes control on "Worried Life Blues."
While there is no shortage of great blues reissues, this disc also serves as a reminder that teen titans like Kenny Wayne Shepherd might do better to drop the "blues" references from their resumes.
All recordings courtesy of Duck/Reprise Records. "Riding With The King" written by J. Hiatt; courtesy of Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc. (BMI). "Key To The Highway" written by W. Broonzy, C. Seger; courtesy of Universal Duchess Music Corp. (BMI). "Days Of Old" written by R. B. King, J. Bihari; courtesy of Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc./Powerforce Music (BMI).
