Ry Cooder - The Slide Area (1982)

Ry Cooder is an American musician, best known for his skill as a slide guitarist and his interest in American roots music.

Ry Cooder's 1982 album The Slide Area saw him still focusing on R&B based material, as he had done since 1979's Bop Till You Drop. Without a doubt it was his most rock-oriented album to date, with a slick modern blues-rock sound throughout, and more flashy guitar than he usually allowed himself. Instrumental backing came from his usual group of friends - drummer Jim Keltner, pianist Jim Dickinson, bassist Tim Drummond, guitarist John Hiatt, and backing singers led by Bobby King, among others. The songs he chose to cover included The Impressions' "Gypsy Woman", Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes", James Carr's "That's The Way Love Turned Out For Me" and an obscure Bob Dylan outtake, "I Need A Woman". It also had some good originals, including one co-written with famed blues songwriter Willie Dixon. 

It actually turned out to be his last studio album for five years, as for the rest of the 80s he focused mostly on soundtrack work.

Borderline (1980) <|> Get Rhythm (1987)
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