J.J. Cale

Really:(1972)

How do you describe the music of J.J. Cale? Well, laid back...in vocal approach, and guitar playing, but still pointed and biting. As a kid every time I heard Cale, I imagined him sitting in a chair half asleep communing with some other realm. Now if you're reading this, and don't know who J.J. Cale is...remember, After Midnight, Cocaine, Call Me The Breeze? He wrote them. Hell, even the good Captain Beefheart covered I Got The Same Old Blues. If I had to pick key tracks off this, his second album; Everything Will Be Alright, and Going Down.

Troubadour:(1976)

This is the album that gave the world Cocaine, but I prefer Ride Me High from this collection. As always, is it blues? Is it rock? Is it country? Is it jazz? No it's just J.J. Cale.

5:(1979)

This is my favorite J.J. Cale album. It's murky. It's got a mist of danger on it. It's got the song, I'll Make Love To You Anytime. I was once supposed to open for J.J. Cale on one of his last tours, but then he had to cancel the date due to illness. Needless to say, I was disappointed. Cale was a gifted musician, and songwriter who lurked in the shadows, but relished the beams of light that cut through. Or at least that's my opinion from years of listening to his work.