J.J. Cale's debut album, Naturally, was recorded after Eric Clapton made "After Midnight" a huge success. Instead of following Slowhand's cue and constructing a slick blues-rock album, Cale recruited a number of his Oklahoma friends and made a laid-back country-rock record that firmly established his distinctive, relaxed style. Cale included a new version of "After Midnight" on the album, but the true meat of the record lay in songs like "Crazy Mama," which became a hit single, and "Call Me the Breeze," which Lynyrd Skynyrd later covered. On these songs and many others on Naturally, Cale effortlessly captured a lazy, rolling boogie that contradicted all the commercial styles of boogie, blues, and country-rock at the time. Where his contemporaries concentrated on solos, Cale worked the song and its rhythm, and the result was a pleasant, engaging album that was in no danger of raising anybody's temperature. ~ Thom Owens, All Music Guide
I wouldn't call this a period piece -- I think it defies categorization into a particular era. but let's not forget jj's vocals...original and sultry, perfect for the mood of the songs...
Great cover art. Come on, sleep. Can't bring it down far enough. Pretty speedy. Considering how it's all about bringing it back down. Use of horns is an unfortunate element. But that's part of what makes it a period piece. God bless overproduction!