Courtesy of Reprise Records
Opening with slow-tempo, airy piano chords and splices of organ, Clapton sneaks in subtle acoustic plucking -- alongside string accompaniment -- to produce a love ballad of '70s blues pop perfection.
"Every mile of this road / Every chord that struck my soul / You are the melody that will soothe me 'till I'm old," Clapton sings before country singer Sheryl Crow chimes in on the chorus, molding her vocals over his: "I wouldn't change a thing / We can make diamonds from the rain." Following each chorus, to no surprise, is Clapton delivering an eclectic, intricately wailing – yet still uplifting -- guitar solo.
"I went over and I got to hear some of Eric's record and was just blown away by it," Crow tells Spinner in an exclusive interview. "It just had everything that I love about what Eric does. It kind of went through the gambit of styles that he's been known for through the years all the way from the '60s and '70s -- the classics, the blues, more pop stuff. It really, for me, was kind of a look back, but with new music -- kind of a look back over the different styles that he's made his own. So it was really, for me, a huge compliment that he asked me to sing on the song, and the song is absolutely gorgeous."
'Clapton,' the three-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee's first album in five years, pulls from a collection of jazz standards mixed with a traditional brass bands sound, country blues and new originals. Co-produced by guitarist and collaborator Doyle Bramhall II, the album features a cast of Clapton's elite musicians, such as legendary JJ Cale, drummer Jim Keltner, bassist Willie Weeks and keyboardist Walt Richmond and collaborations with friends Steve Winwood, Wynton Marsalis, Allen Toussaint, Derek Trucks and, of course, Sheryl Crow.
Head over to Spinner to hear 'Diamonds Made From Rain,' or tune in to AOL Radio's Adult Rock station to hear this song, and other (new and old) classics from rock veterans.
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