Amongst this week’s new releases listed we highlight Eric Clapton’s “The Lady in the Balcony: Lockdown Series“
In February 2021 Eric Clapton’s live shows at The Royal Albert Hall were cancelled due to the global pandemic. Determined to play, he brought his band together in the English countryside. In the absence of a live audience, he decided to record the performances. This release is the culmination of their sessions together at Cowdray House, West Sussex, England.
The Lady in the Balcony: Lockdown Sessions. The collection of 17 songs include mostly acoustic renditions of such classics as “After Midnight,” “Layla,” and “Bell Bottom Blues,” performed with his long time bandmates Nathan East (bass and vocals), Steve Gadd (drums) and Chris Stainton (keyboards). The title arrives on November 12th, 2021, via Mercury Studios on multiple formats.
The recording was overseen by Clapton’s longtime Grammy-winning producer Russ Titelman and was recorded live at Cowdray House in West Sussex, England. The performance features Clapton standards and an assortment of other numbers encompassing blues, country and rarified originals. “The Lady in the Balcony: Lockdown Sessions” also offers versions of songs that had a profound effect on his career and those of his contemporaries including the Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac tracks “Black Magic Woman” and “Man of the World.”
The project was initiated as the result of the postponement of Clapton’s concerts scheduled for May 2021 at London’s Royal Albert Hall due to the pandemic. He reconvened with his band to the English countryside and staged a concert in the presence of only the participants themselves while letting the cameras roll. The mostly acoustic set was envisioned to be like an Eric Clapton Unplugged II, but not quite, as three songs are played with electric guitars.
Eric’s also has a new single entitled “This Has Gotta Stop” from Bushbranch/Surfdog. The song was written by Clapton, produced by his long time producing partner Simon Climie and is performed by Clapton, Sonny Emery on drums, Nathan East on bass, Sharon White on background vocals along with Nick Ingman as the strings arranger and conductor and Perry Montague-Mason as strings leader.
