George Harrison, Chaka Khan, Daryl Hall, Robert Cray, Cecil und Linda Womack, Phil Collins, Gary Burton und Dire-Straits-Keyboarder Alan Clark: mit derart illustren Gästen umgab sich Eric Clapton für die Aufnahmen zu seinem 1989er Studioalbum Journeyman. Einige der eingespielten Titel gehören zu „Slowhands“ besten überhaupt, darunter Bad Love, Pretending, Before You Accuse Me und Hound Dog. Clapton klingt überzeugender als in den Jahren zuvor, sein Gitarrenspiel ist kraftvoll, sein Gesang demonstriert Seele und Selbstvertrauen.

Wie auf allen guten Alben des Bluesrock-Gitarristen setzt Clapton hier nicht auf Effekthascherei; Journeyman ist eine entspannte und durch und durch einnehmende Darstellung seiner Virtuosität. Steve Hoffman übernahm das Remastering in den Studios von Stephen Marsh Mastering. Die Hybrid-SACD erscheint in limitierter Auflage mit fortlaufender Seriennummer.

There is an all-star assembly of guests: Dire Straits keyboardist Alan Clark, George Harrison, Chaka Khan, Daryl Hall, Robert Cray, Cecil and Linda Womack, Phil Collins and Gary Burton. Among the highlights are several cuts that feature slide-vs.-slowhand guitar dueling with Cray. George Harrison is particularly impressive on his little masterpiece "Run So Far," playing guitar and singing harmony vocals.

A couple of tracks rank among Clapton's best from any decade.The strongest commercial single is "Bad Love," which won the 1990 Best Male Rock Vocal Performance Grammy Award, and reached the No. 1 position on the Album Rock Chart.  "Pretending" is a firm mid-tempo rocker that also reached the No. 1 position on the Album Rock Chartand and includes one of his most assured vocal performances ever. Clapton sounds more convincing than he had since the early '70s. Not only is his guitar playing muscular and forceful, his singing is soulful and gritty - he seems to have struck the perfect balance between the fiery blues of his youth with the pop flavorings of his later years.

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

For most of the '80s, Eric Clapton seemed rather lost, uncertain of whether he should return to his blues roots or pander to AOR radio. By the mid-'80s, he appeared to have made the decision to revamp himself as a glossy mainstream rocker, working with synthesizers and drum machines. Instead of expanding his audience, it only reduced it. Then came the career retrospective Crossroads, which helped revitalize his career, not only commercially, but also creatively, as Journeyman -- the first album he recorded after the success of Crossroads -- proved. Although Journeyman still suffers from an overly slick production, Clapton sounds more convincing than he has since the early '70s. Not only is his guitar playing muscular and forceful, his singing is soulful and gritty. Furthermore, the songwriting is consistently strong, alternating between fine mainstream rock originals ("Pretending") and covers ("Before You Accuse Me," "Hound Dog"). Like any of Clapton's best albums, there is no grandstanding to be found on Journeyman -- it's simply a laid-back and thoroughly engaging display of Clapton's virtuosity. On the whole, it's the best studio album he's released since Slowhand. [Journeyman was released in an SACD version in 2014.]