Naturally (J. J. Cale album)

Naturally
Studio album by J. J. Cale
Released	October 25, 1971
Recorded	September 29, 1970–June 9, 1971
Studio	Bradley's Barn, Mount Juliet, Tennessee Moss Rose, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre	Country rock
Length	31:41
Label	UK: A&M USA: Shelter
Producer	Audie Ashworth
J. J. Cale chronology
Naturally (1971) Really (1972)

Naturally is the debut studio album by J. J. Cale, released on October 25, 1971.

Background

J.J. Cale, who grew up in Oklahoma, first gained recognition in 1964 when singer Mel McDaniel released a regional hit covering Cale's song "Lazy Me" and became a hit. Cale later moved to California to work as chief engineer at Leon Russell's home and began performing at venues such as Whisky a Go Go. Due to the existence of Johnny Rivers as a regular performer, and to avoid confusion with John Cale of the Velvet Underground, club co-owner Elmer Valentine suggested that Cale be renamed "J.J. Cale".

In 1966, Cale released a single called "Slow Motion" on Liberty Records, which was not a commercial success. However, its B-side, "After Midnight", later became a major influence on Cale's career, as Eric Clapton recorded a cover version of the song in 1970 and it reached the top 20 of the Hot Singles chart. At the time, Cale did not know about Clapton's recording of "After Midnight" and did not hear it on the radio until 1970, when it became a radio hit. Cale later recalled in an interview with Mojo magazine that during this time he was facing significant financial challenges in his 30s, and that the unexpected success of the song provided him with vital financial stability. With the new success of After Midnight, encouraged by his friend and producer Audie Ashworth, Cale began recording the entire album.

Recording

The recording of Naturally uses an independent production model, follows a standardized recording process, and musicians receive royalties according to industry practices. In terms of musical presentation, the work builds the basic musical framework of Tulsa Sound, and the album incorporates multiple elements, its technical characteristics reflected in three aspects: delicate drum arrangements, deep vocals within a limited vocal range, and guitar technique that combines basic country chord progressions, blues scale improvisation and jazz harmonic thinking. Among them, songs such as "Call Me the Breeze" in the album use the original drum machine programming rhythm track, its simplified arrangement structure presents the original texture of the early demo, and the overall sound is close to the texture of the demo tape, providing an important sample for the study of the formation process of the genre.

In 2004, in an interview with Vintage Guitar editor Dan Forte, J.J. Cale elaborated on the production details: "Crazy Mama" and "Call Me The Breeze" were cut due to lack of funds for the first recording of the album, which did not feature a traditional drummer, and because most people had not yet had access to electronic drum machines. During production, Carl Radle recorded bass vocals, and Mac Gayden contributed slide guitar on the track "Crazy Mama".Following the production phase, which was coordinated by Audie with the addition of a team of professional musicians and the completion of professional studio upgrades, the other eight songs from Naturally were selected. The album not only laid the foundation for Cale's low-key aesthetic and musical style, but also continued to influence his entire recording track up to his death in 2013, through the arrangement concept and the fusion of electronic music and traditional instruments. James Calemine once commented:

These days, many critics label Cale as a one trick pony. Upon several listens to these 13 new songs, it becomes apparent To Tulsa and Back maintains its own glory. Of course, Cale employs his under-played, quiet sound, but the opener “My Gal” indicates he continues to find strength in sparse instrumental dynamics.

J.J. Cale's version of "After Midnight" differs significantly from Eric Clapton's adaptation, which is itself based on Cale's original free record arrangement. The Oklahoma Troubadour explained in 2004:

The history on that deal was, the original "After Midnight" I recorded was on Liberty Records on a 45-rpm, and it was fast. That was about 1967-68, maybe 69. I can't remember exactly. But that was the original "After Midnight", and that is what Clapton heard. If you listen to Eric Clapton's record, what he did was imitate that. No one heard that first version I made of it. I tried to give the thing away, until he cut it and made it popular. So, when I recorded the Naturally album Denny Cordell, who ran Shelter Records at the time, and I had already finished the album, he said, "John, why don't you put 'After Midnight' on there because that is what people recognize you for?" I said, "Well, I've already got that on Liberty Records, and Eric Clapton's already cut it, so if I'm going to do it again I'm going to do it slow.

J.J. Cale's version of "After Midnight" differs significantly from Eric Clapton's adaptation, which is itself based on Cale's original free record arrangement. According to the documentary, Cale stated that the album was not his greatest personal satisfaction, but acknowledged its popularity among the music fan community, which he attributed to the songwriting itself. The documentary also Chronicles a business disagreement between Cale and agent Audie Ashworth: When Cale learned that she could be promoted to the charts by appearing on Dick Clark's television music show American Bandstand, she voluntarily passed up the promotion because of the unspoken industry rule of lip-synching. As a result, the single "Crazy Mama" reached close to the Billboard Top 20 but failed to reach the top 20. The incident confirmed his attitude towards business success and his disdain for fame and fortune from the beginning of his career. In 1990 Cale spoke with Steve Newton, a reporter for Georgia Strait magazine:

The first album was a collection of tunes I'd been working on for about 32 years. It was a collection that refined everything that had come out of me and weeded out all the bad ideas I'd had over 20 years. But, when it was successful, the record company wanted the next album in six months. When you get successful, the money comes in and pretty soon you've got to hire an accountant, you've got to get up early, and then you've got a day job. Pretty soon, I wasn't enjoying life – all I was doing was working.

In 2009, Universal Music Group launched a special project for the French market, bringing J.J. Cale's 1972 album Naturally was re-released along with the contemporaneous work Really. The two-disc CD set contains 24 tracks and is part of Universal Music's "2 For 1" commercial series.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Christgau's Record Guide	B

The album contained the 1972 hits "Crazy Mama" (#22 on the Billboard Hot 100, his only Top 40 hit) and "After Midnight" (#42) as well as turntable hits "Bringing it Back" (recorded by Kansas for their first album), "Call Me the Breeze" (later recorded by Lynyrd Skynyrd), and "Clyde" (later recorded by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show and a 1980 country hit for Waylon Jennings). "Crazy Mama" was actually the B-side of the single, "Magnolia", but a DJ in Little Rock, Arkansas played it in preference to the A-side, facilitating its success. Reviewing the LP for Rolling Stone in 1972, Jon Landau said, "This quiet and leisurely album from an excellent guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter is a charmer. J.J. Cale has a unique approach to funk, blues, and country and all it involves is taking things at just as relaxed and mellow a pace as the human metabolism will allow. Here it results in one of the most enjoyable debut albums heard in some time." Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was less receptive to the "lassitude affected" by Cale and his collaborators. In Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), he said that while "Call Me the Breeze" and "Crazy Mama" are "absolutely beguiling", the rest of the record's "murmured blues meditations are so easy on the spirit that even though they have their charms they invite the mistrust of moralizers like myself—there's just too much talent here to justify such slight results." Thom Owens of AllMusic later wrote that "Cale effortlessly captured a lazy, rolling boogie that contradicted all the commercial styles of boogie, blues, and country rock at the time" of the album's release.

Track listing

All songs written by JJ Cale.

Side one

1. "Call Me the Breeze" – 2:38
2. "Call the Doctor" – 2:26
3. "Don't Go to Strangers" – 2:22
4. "Woman I Love" – 2:40
5. "Magnolia" – 3:23
6. "Clyde" – 2:29

Side two

1. "Crazy Mama" – 2:31
2. "Nowhere to Run" – 2:26
3. "After Midnight" – 2:25
4. "River Runs Deep" – 2:42
5. "Bringing It Back" – 2:46
6. "Crying Eyes" – 3:15

Personnel

Musicians

• J. J. Cale – guitar, vocals
• Karl Himmel – drums ( A1, A2, A4 - B2, B4 - B6 )
• Chuck Browning – drums ( A3, B3 )
• Tim Drummond – bass ( A4 - A6, B2, B5 )
• Carl Radle – bass ( A1, A2, B1, B4, B6 )
• Norbert Putnam – bass ( A3, B3 )
• Bob Wilson – piano ( A4 - A6, B2, B5 )
• David Briggs – piano, organ
• Jerry Whitehurst – piano
• Weldon Myrick – steel guitar ( A1, A2, B1, B4
• Buddy Spicher – fiddle
• Shorty Lavender – fiddle
• Walter Hayness – dobro
• Mac Gayden – slide guitar ( B1, B4 )
• Ed Colis – harmonica
• Diane Davidson – backing vocals

Production

• Cover artwork - Rabon
• Engineer – James Long

Certifications

Certifications for Naturally

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)	Silver	60,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

External links

• Naturally at Discogs (list of releases)