For the past 15 years or so, Eric Clapton has mainly made two kinds of albums: 1) Sentimental studio discs like Pilgrim and Reptile that tend to be overly produced, clumsily personal and eminently forgettable; and 2) The blues tributes and live sets that revisit his past and presumably pay the bills.

The latest example of the latter is the Cream reunion set due this fall. The worst example of the former is Back Home, his 14th studio disc of new songs. Proving for the zillionth time that domestic bliss is seldom conducive to great art, Slowhand turns in a sappy, syrupy and spineless set of slick soul, reggae and '80s-style FM pop-rock.

Much of it sings the praises of his latest wifey and kidlets (whose pictures also decorate the album as if it were his cubicle at work). One song even samples what we presume is his crying baby. Sheesh.

Now don't get us wrong; honestly, we're happy that the 60-year-old Clapton has finally found his soul mate, started a new family and created a home for himself. After everything he's been through, he's earned it. But really, he could have saved himself some time and money and just send a Hallmark card instead.

If this is what we can expect from Clapton's studio albums from now on, we'll stick to the live discs and blues tributes, thanks.

Track Listing:

1. So Tired
2. Say What You Will
3. I'm Going Left
4. Love Don't Love Nobody
5. Revolution
6. Love Comes To Everyone
7. Lost And Found
8. Piece Of My Heart
9. One Day
10. One Track Mind
11. Run Home To Me
12. Back Home