Clapton and Sheryl reunite for album

Los Angeles: Eric Clapton will release his first solo album in five years on September 28, his Reprise Records label said on Wednesday."Clapton," the rock guitarist`s 19th solo studio album, features guest appearances by former girlfriend Sheryl Crow and former Blind Faith bandmate Steve Winwood, among others.

"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. Bureau Report