J.J. Cale wrote Eric Clapton's first hit After Midnight. He wrote the enduring crowd-pleaser Cocaine. And he practically wrote the book when it comes to the mellow, rootsy blues vein Clapton has been mining for most of the past 35 years.

On The Road to Escondido, the Brit repays some of his debt by joining the Okie singer-guitarist for a full-length collaboration. Trading solos and sharing the mic, the bluesmen -- backed by a rotating all-star cast including John Mayer, Derek Trucks, Albert Lee, Taj Mahal and Billy Preston -- casually reel off smoky 12-bar jams and twangy roots-rockers full of the earthy grooves, dusty vocals and tastefully understated licks you expect from both these guys.

In fact, their styles have become so similar over the years it can be hard to tell them apart here unless you focus. Of course, no one can compare to Cale as a songwriter -- and to Clapton's credit, he wisely steps aside and gets Cale to supply 11 of the disc's 14 tracks.

That oughta make The Road to Escondido a pretty good payday for J.J. -- and it certainly makes for Slowhand's strongest and most consistent studio disc in years.

Track Listing:

1. Danger
2. Heads In Georgia
3. Missing Person
4. When This War Is Over
5. Sporting Life Blues
6. Dead End Road
7. It's Easy
8. Hard To Thrill
9. Anyway The Wind Blows
10. Three Little Girls
11. Don't Cry Sister
12. Last Will And Testament
13. Who Am I Telling You?
14. Ride The River