This 2016 triple CD set features 41 tracks, with performances by Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, Vince Gill, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, John Mayer, Willie Nelson, Carlos Santana, James Taylor, Joe Walsh, Steve Winwood, Ronnie Wood, ZZ TOP, and more and is nearly four hours in length. Although the Crossroads Guitar Festival was founded by Clapton in 2004, there has been little in the way of music released on CD, and this was an attempt to address that. It includes selections from four festivals that had taken place back then, namely 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2013, bringing together a wealth of performers who played not only their own songs but also a set of classic blues.
Clapton is featured throughout the set, and we are treated to his cover of George Harrison’s “Isn’t It A Pity” and a storming version of “Layla”, while he also collaborates with others, such as with JJ Cale in “After Midnight” and recreating half of Blind Faith with Stevie Winwood for their “Presence Of The Lord”. We also get all-star jams, with B.B. King, Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughn and Hubert Sumlin coming together for “Paying The Cost To Be The Boss”. There is blues royalty right there, and hearing Steve Cropper back with Booker T for “Born Under a Bad Sign” is a delight. Sheryl Crow shows she is much more than a pop singer, lending her vocals to different combinations, taking lead on “Our Love Is Fading” while supporting Vince Gill on “Lay Down Sally”. The legend which is Jeff Back gives us a few numbers, Robert Cray is as immense as ever, while BB Kings style will always stand out among everyone else.
For any fan of the blues this is an immense and indispensable collection which shows just how vibrant and alive the blues is today. If you want to understand the passion, the emotion, the reality which is the blues, then start here.
Rating: 10/10
Track list and further details:
https://www.rhino.com/product/crossroads-revisited-selections-from-the-crossroads-guitar-festivals
