Eric Clapton will release his 21st studio album — Old Sock — March 12 on his own Bushbranch label. It will be his first studio album since 2010's Clapton.
Among the album's notable guest stars is Paul McCartney, who plays standup bass and sings on "All of Me," one of the album's many covers.
In fact, of the album's 12 tracks, 10 are covers, including "Angel" (featuring JJ Cale), "Get On Over" (featuring Chaka Khan) and Gary Moore's "Still Got the Blues" (featuring Steve Winwood, Clapton's former Blind Faith bandmate). The album's two new original tunes are "Every Little" and "Gotta Get Over."
As noted in the liner notes to McCartney's 2012 Live Kisses DVD, Clapton asked McCartney to add his bass to the album during the recording of McCartney's 2012 Kisses on the Bottom album, which features Clapton's guitar playing on two tracks. For Clapton's album, McCartney used a standup bass that once belonged to Bill Black, Elvis Presley's 1950s-era bassist.
Other covers on the album include Leadbelly's "Goodnight Irene," Peter Tosh's "Till Your Well Runs Dry" and George and Ira Gershwin's "Love Is Here to Stay."
Clapton will tour the US this spring, culminating with his Crossroads Guitar Festival at Madison Square Garden in New York City in mid-April. That show will feature performances by Jeff Beck, Jimmie Vaughan, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, the Allman Brothers Band, John Mayer and Gary Clark Jr.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
