Journeyman by Eric Clapton
Journeyman is the eleventh studio album by blues/rock musician Eric Clapton, released in 1989. The album was heralded as a return to form for Clapton, who had struggled with alcohol addiction throughout the mid-1980s and had recently found sobriety. Much of it has an electronic sound, mostly influenced by the 1980s rock scene, but it also includes blues songs like "Before You Accuse Me," "Running On Faith," and "Hard Times." The strongest single commercially from this album was "Bad Love," which earned him the 1990 Best Male Rock Vocal Performance Grammy Awards, and reached the #1 position on the Album Rock Chart. "Pretending" had also reached the #1 position on the Album Rock Chart the previous year, remaining at the top for 5 weeks ("Bad Love" had only stayed for 3 weeks). While the album was only a moderate commercial success at the time, reaching just the 16th position on the Billboard 200 chart, it went on to become his first solo studio album to go double platinum. This is one of Eric Clapton's favourite albums.
<i>Journeyman</i> saw Clapton closing out the ‘80s with one of his biggest-sounding albums yet, surrounding his fiery guitar playing with rich, dynamic production reminiscent of Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound. Opener "Pretending" swirls with horns, piano and gritty vocals, but they all fall away when he goes for a sharp, distorted solo. The drums on "Run So Far"—a collaboration with George Harrison—come loaded with reverb and make a perfect vehicle for the tune's light, twangy melody.
