J.J. Cale's
The Definitive Collection is an excellent single-disc collection from one of the most influential singer/songwriters to emerge from America during the '70s. Just as
Townes Van Zandt and
Guy Clark define Texas songwriting,
Cale is the epitome of the Oklahoma writers. Although most people know him as the writer of
Eric Clapton's hit "Cocaine,"
Cale constantly offered up other quality material that could only be defined by his vocal style, which can accurately be described as "reclining in the groove." Popular tunes such as "Call Me the Breeze," "Hey Baby" and "Crazy Mama" have a deceptively laid-back intensity that to a large degree influenced such rockers as
Lowell George of
Little Feat and the previously mentioned
Clapton.
Cale's guitar work proved to be influential as well (again on
Clapton), but also popular swamp rockers such as
Delaney Bramlett.
The Definitive Collection offers a comprehensive collection from
Cale's early-'70s recordings in Nashville, to Muscle Shoals in Alabama, to his later work on Hollywood. If you're going to explore
Cale's groove, this is the place to start. ~ Matthew Greenwald