No drugs, no sex, no prison, no misadventures or spicy stories. Nothing! Nix! Nada! ! JJ. Cale's life, like his career, was a peaceful, and pretty long, river... Sixty-four years of peace and a humungous influence over his contemporaries. Even in the studio, this unshaven hermit never fell into incontinence: he only leaves about a dozen studio albums behind him. But while JJ. Cale is just as crucial today as he was when he took his final bow five years ago, it is because he was a lot more than just another arresting bluesman. And can we really speak of blues?
J.J. Cale had a style that was all his own. It was a sensation. Gentle, smooth, tranquil, relaxed, lazy, and above all, laid back (and never laid out): that's the spirit of his music. The music was set apart by its studied nonchalance, which Cale raised like a standard, a philosophy of life, and one very different from that of his contemporaries. It is also recognisable for Cale's hushed, whispering voice, murmured straight into the ear. It's a voice closer to the gentle caress of Mississippi John Hurt than the claws of Howlin’ Wolf. Finally, there's an electric drum kit thrown in here and there, which is another major component of the sound of J.J. Cale. Between 1972 and 1979 he would record five coolly-crafted marvels: Naturally (1972), Really (1973), Okie (1974), Troubadour (1976) and 5 (1979), and he was careful to keep his face off all the sleeves. Limelight, red carpets, awards: that wasn't really his style…
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