Eric Clapton has had a pretty stormy life, but at last old Slowhand seems to be at peace with himself. His contented mood is reflected all too accurately on Back Home, which revolves around the twin themes of romantic devotion and domestic bliss. There's few surprises on this soporific album, which mixes blues and soul originals with covers of Clapton contemporaries such as Stevie Wonder and George Harrison. Occasoinally a blast of agit-style reggae comes along to break the monotony and suggest that the veteran has some spirit left in him after all. But even then, the lavish production all but overwhelms his guitar playing, which after all was the reason he used to be so good in the first place. Not exactly a bad album, but too safe by half.
