[Slowhand] Old Sock - Who are Clapton's worse critics?

[Fabio Dwyer]

Hello Slowhanders, 
I was wondering who are Clapton's worse critics. They are fans, for sure.I read my first three reviews of Clapton's new album. The three of them, by three serious sources - All Music, Premier Guitar and Salon goes from good to very good. 3.5/5 is the average note, which is FAR away from crap.
http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2013/Apr/Album_Review_Eric_Clapton_Old_Sock.aspxhttp://www.salon.com/2013/03/11/music_review_eric_claptons_old_sock_is_cozy/http://www.allmusic.com/album/old-sock-mw0002483535
Let alone all the support from Wall Street Journal site that has been streaming the whole album, they wouldn't be streaming "crap" on their website, for sure.
I heard the album, and trying to be the most impartial as I can, being a Clapton fan for so long (ok, I fully recognize, I'm always somehow biased), but also being a professional musician with serious musical references on my back, I really consider "crap" a little bit too much; It's an adjective that describes much better the frustration by Clapton not doing what some of us wants HIM to do than the result of the album itself. Certainly far away from being his best album. Actually, from his albums from the last decade, I think it's only better than Back Home. To my ears Old Sock is better than albums like There's One in Every Crowd, No Reason to Cry, Backless, Behind the Sun and Pilgrim, but that's my personal taste only. It all comes from personal taste in the end of the day, but "crap" is maybe a little bit too much. Sounds more like a Clapton-Haters list... lol 
Non-memorable, I would agree to that. I will remember probably half of the songs. I particularly love Gotta Get Over, liked All of Me (an old jazz favorite of mine), Further on down the Road and Still Got the Blues. One of this reviews above says that "this old sock wears well", I stick with this one. 
As an active professional musician, I have faced so many times people approaching me in the break or even in the middle of a gig asking me to play this or that stuff; some are nice people and I even play the song if my band knows it and if it relates to what we're doing. Some people are nasty - they say that I *have* to play what they want because they're the ones paying. I don't give a sh*t for this kind of listener. I am the artist, and part of my work as a musician, as the artist is to select the repertoire I want and believe it's the right one for me to play. That's what Clapton has been doing in his last couple of albums, that's what HE wants to play. An artist have to produce material that pleases the audience, for sure, but when the artist becomes a *slave* of his audience, that's horrible! I understand people wanting more of the same, more From the Cradles, more Laylas, more Cream and more Beano, and he has been giving us a LOT on his tours and live albums that comes from that (Winwood, Cream, Jeff Beck, J.J. Cale, Marsallis, Crossroads Fests). Give the guy a BREAK now and let HIM decide what to play! If it's not what you expected, remember that there's a difference between being critic and disrespectful to a great artist with a hell of a history behind, and maybe a little bit ahead yet:-)
Somebody mentioned that the reason he didn't release this album through a major label was because it was so bad that Warner would refuse. Warner has been responsible by some of the weakest Clapton's work (remember the Behind the Sun incident? How could they refuse the blues Too Bad to replace it for Tangled in Love or See What Love Can Do?). Whenever he feels pressured to write hits for the majors, he is not being the real Clapton. The reason why he went to an indie label is because he wants to record what he believes without pressure. A lot of serious artists are taking this direction. Majors are infested by Biebers, Beyonces, Taylor Swifts, Rhianas and these kind of "artists". I'm very happy that Clapton went away from majors, I'm happy that the man got into a point in his career that he can record what the heck HE wants, even putting his daughters to sing (which I didn't particularly liked the result), I like this guy with freedom because I still believe that good things may come from him. 
BTW, Clapton (2011) and Playing the Blues with Marsallis are becoming classics on my stereo, among FTC, Layla, Beano and Cream stuff. Excellent albums. The new one? Average Clapton studio for me, I've seen better, I've seen worse. I'm more Blues than reggae oriented, but that was good for a change.
Thanks Clapton for another album, to me average Clapton is better than No-Clapton and Gotta Get Over and Still Got the Blues are fine!
Fabio