The passing of legendary guitarist, songwriter, producer, and Stax architect Steve Cropper in December 2025 marked a profound moment for American music. As a foundational figure in the development of soul, R&B, and rock—both through his work at Stax Records and across decades of session and production work—Cropper helped define the sound of post-war popular music. Now, posthumously, his final recording project Watching The Tide stands as a fitting and emotional closing chapter.
Assembled by project leader Jon Tiven, the album gathers an extraordinary lineup of collaborators, including Eric Clapton, Brian May, Ronnie Wood, and Billy Gibbons, across twelve newly completed songs. Rather than functioning as a retrospective, the record presents itself as a vibrant, living session—full of energy, collaboration, and creative momentum that Cropper himself considered among the strongest work of his later years.
According to Tiven, Cropper remained deeply engaged with the project during its creation, finding genuine joy in the sessions that would ultimately become his final studio recordings. That sense of vitality runs through the album, which balances gritty soul textures with blues-rock drive and classic songcraft.
Across Watching The Tide, Cropper’s unmistakable rhythmic guitar style anchors a wide-ranging set of performances that move between swaggering groove tracks, introspective blues, and full-band rock collaborations. The material reflects both his deep roots in Southern soul tradition and his enduring openness to collaboration across generations and genres.
Standout tracks include “Ticket First” featuring Eric Clapton, the expansive “My Angels Are Calling” pairing Brian May and Billy Gibbons, and “Until Now” with Ronnie Wood—each highlighting a different facet of Cropper’s musical world. Elsewhere, songs such as “Blood From A Stone,” “It’s Gonna Get Worse,” and “Stand Right Here” reinforce the album’s grounded, band-led energy, while “Tandoori Chicken” bookends the record with raw, groove-driven fire.
More than just a final album, Watching The Tide feels like a gathering of musical peers paying tribute through performance—an album shaped by mutual respect, shared history, and the unmistakable influence of a musician whose fingerprints are embedded across modern music itself.
For listeners, it stands as both celebration and farewell: the last recorded chapter of a life spent shaping the language of American guitar.
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