Ry Cooder – The Slide Area (1982)
The second of the Lutterworth haul of Ry Cooder albums is this one from 1982.
The more I listen to Cooder the more I come to believe that I'm not as convinced by his music as I am by he himself seeming to be a good egg, and this is a fairly lacklustre outing.
UFO Has Landed In The Ghetto is a futuristic (for the 1980s), proto rap piece, which is a solid, if uninspiring song, while covers of Dylan's I Need A Woman, Curtis Mayfield's Gypsy Woman and Carl Perkins' Blue Suede Shoes are notable only for Cooder's engaging guitar work.
Mama, Don't Treat You Daughter Mean is more funky and upbeat, while I'm Drinking Again is another song only saved by Cooder's playing. Which Came First is straightforward blues without anything remarkable, while as you'd expect, the album concludes with a gentle ballad, That's The Way Love Turned Out For Me.
It's a disappointing album, with plenty of ordinary songs, both original and covers, with Cooder's guitar playing standing out. Only the opening song turns up on the 1996 compilation River Rescue - The Best Of Ry Cooder - I think that speaks volumes for this album.
2* - feels very much like Ry Cooder's treading water at this point
Comments