"It's an eclectic collection of songs that weren't really on
the map — and I like it so much because if it's a surprise to the fans, that's
only because it's a surprise to me, as well," he said in a statement.
Other
guests on the 14-track set include jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, New Orleans
R&B icon Allen Toussaint and Allman Brothers Band guitarist Derek Trucks.
Clapton produced the album with longtime collaborator Doyle Bramhall II.
Clapton
and Crow had a brief affair in the late 1990s, and she reportedly wrote her
song "My Favorite Mistake" about him. They have played together in
subsequent years.
His previous solo release, "Back Home," debuted
at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 with 59,000 copies in September 2005. That
marked a sharp drop from the No. 5, 102,000-unit start for his previous set of
original material, 2001's "Reptile." In 2006, he teamed with J.J.
Cale for "The Road to Escondido," which debuted at No. 34 with 43,000
copies.