Eric Clapton

Me And Mr. Johnson

Reprise; $18.98

No stranger to the music of seminal bluesman Robert Johnson, Clapton has covered his songs as far back as the '60s, first as a member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers ("Ramblin' on My Mind") and then Cream ("Crossroads").

Considering that Clapton says that he has been driven and influenced by Johnson's work all his life, his first recording devoted solely to his idol's tunes is too often bloodless and safe.

"Me and the Devil Blues," terrifying and powerful in Johnson's hands, is handled listlessly by Clapton in a version that an average bar band could equal.

"Traveling Riverside Blues" and "Stop Breakin' Down Blues" have some grit and fire, and "Milkcow's Calf Blues" features some of Clapton's best slide guitar licks and fine harmonica work by Jerry Portnoy. But these can't save an album that would work better at a Starbucks than at a smoky roadhouse.

Martin Bandyke, Detroit Free Press

J-Kwon

Hood Hop

So So Def/Arista; $17.98

Punishing beats, a strong hook and a voice with some serious street savvy has given 17-year-old J-Kwon a rap and pop hit with the white-hot single "Tipsy." So is the rest of his debut album worth a double-take? Oh yeah.

J-Kwon says he's bent on introducing the 'hood to pop, and he's like Nelly with a mean streak when he raps on "Parking Lot." "I don't like to talk a lot, I got two words for you - parking lot."

Evidently that's where scores got settled during J-Kwon's admittedly rough St. Louis upbringing, which he brings to life vividly throughout the album.

There's a clean crushing bass that provides the backbone for the tracks on Hood Hop.

And there's something a little raw about J-Kwon that demands your attention.

Ron Harris, The Associated Press

Aerosmith

Honkin' On Bobo

Columbia; $19.98

Listen to any Aerosmith song and the influence of the blues rings in your ears.

Now the band is dropping its rock pretenses with an album made up almost entirely of blues classics.

But make no mistake, this is not Aerosmith Sings The Blues. This is one of the world's most successful rock bands making the blues explosive. Most of the songs are re-imagined Aerosmith style, with Steven Tyler's wailing, howling vocals and Joe Perry's screaming guitar slides.

On Bo Diddley's "Road Runner," for example, Perry kicks it up a notch with a wicked, in-your-face effort that nearly makes his guitar sound like it's singing.

Perhaps the band's best effort is showcased on Big Joe Williams' "Baby, Please Don't Go," which is elevated from its typical head-nodding pace to frenetic romp.

The 12 tracks feature only one new Aerosmith song, "The Grind," which is the only downside of the album. When you're writing to compete with the likes of "Mississippi" Fred McDowell, who penned "Back Back Train" and "You Gotta Move," you have to be more than good, you have to be great. And "The Grind" simply isn't great.

Chelsea J. Carter, The Associated Press