Amazon link here.
I heard Track 9, Learn How to Love, on the radio this morning. Excellent - groove was heavy and swampy with great vocals from Susan Tedeschi and the excellent guitar work you’d expect from Derek Trucks.
I am surprised I didn’t know this had come out yet - but my mind has not been on music lately since work and family have pushed for more attention…
I do! I do!
I was able to listen to the whole thing the day before it was released on AOL (of all places). I don’t know if I’d have given it a chance if I hadn’t been able to do that, but I’m glad i did. I downloaded it from Amazon that night and have been listening to it a LOT. While I don’t dislike Susan by herself, I’m a much bigger fan of the Derek Trucks Band. I had worried that the combination might be less than the sum of their parts, but as it turns out, they work pretty well together.
And, while I love what Derek was doing with DTB, this is probably has a lot broader commercial appeal. Since you said you liked the track you heard, I suspect you’ll like the whole disc. Pretty much every song has that balance between her voice and his guitar (without sounding repetitious).
If you want to come by, I’ll play it for you and you can decide for yourself. 
You might also want to try to hear some of Warren Haynes newest, “Man In Motion”. It’s a departure for him, as well, kind of a “soul” album with horns and background harmonies. Nothing like I’ve ever heard him do before. But still Warren.
Thanks for the review. I have been reading a lot about the gear Haynes used on his CD - he borrowed some amps from a well-known online gear geek - and heard good things about the CD. I need to check it out, too.
Of course.
Profoundly unimpressed so far. I am not a big fan of ST’s voice, which is front and center on just about every track. Lyrics are mundane at best. DT has jettisoned all the world and jazz influences that make him so amazing and gone lowest common denominator with ST.
Haven’t listened to it particularly carefully yet, but my first impression is seriously meh.
Argh! Not music to my ears. Jeez, I gotta listen to the Carolyn Wonderland CD sitting right here, too.
Yeah, you do. I’m very curious to hear your take on her. (Marley’s too, but I just sent him the CD last week, so it’s too early to bug him.)
I have a big Retreat over the next couple days; maybe I can cue it up when I exhale later this week…
I went to the Tedeschi/Trucks show last night. It was a good show but definitely highlighted Tedeschi for the most part. There were a few good jams where Trucks really took off.
I have this one (did you think I wouldn’t, WordMan?) and it’s grown on me a lot as I’ve continued to listen. There are some really excellent songs - I think Midnight in Harlem gets the best performance and Bound for Glory is up there as a piece of writing - and the songs that aren’t quite on that level still have some very interesting features. I like the sitar and the shifts of mood in These Walls and that unusual, sort of dark chord progression in Until You Remember, which otherwise sounds like an R&B song. Learn How to Love does have a great riff. Most of the rest of the album is a bit slower and quieter than that one. It’s true this is more in a soul and roots type of album, and you’re not going to hear the jazz or Eastern music or blues covers the Derek Trucks Band did. And it’s true Susan is at the forefront at all times. But I think it’s a very strong album.
That hussy.
Just wanted to rustle the bushes a bit and see what flew up 
A buddy close by has it; I will give it a listen. I stand by my deep love of Trucks and his playing style, but want to hear that the songs are there - I am not a “buy it automatically” type of person - heck, I didn’t buy Jeff Beck’s latest :eek:
You still haven’t forgiven her for taking your man, have you?
I bought it at BestBuy (damn me for giving them any money).
TTB put out a coupon that was supposed to get me a $7.99 price for the CD at BB but BB refused to honor it and in a gesture of goodwill :rolleyes: they gave it to me for $9.99.
The album is about half as good as Trucks’ Already Free which still puts it in the 99.9 percentile for recently released music.
I love Susan T’s voice but DT is compromised on this album. But the biggest casualty is Mike Mattison. He’s happily doing backup singing for Susan and that’s OK but they needed to let him stand out for at least a few songs and either lead or duet with Susan. They sound great together. I’m still trying to get a decent audio only copy of Mike and Susan trading lead vocals from a live Clapton Crossroads DVD with their cover of Anyday.
I’ll still scarf up any recording DT cares to throw my consumer way but I’m hoping he and Mike get to stand out more on the next CD.
Man, her voice is what is killing this album for me. Alas, I do not like it more than when I first heard it, contrary to my hopes/expectations.
She’s got this one note that she hits and holds on every single song. Drives me fucking apeshit.
Agree that Mike got screwed by the excessive showcasing of ST.
She can be good – she’s done a couple of covers, elsewhere, that I adore (“Angel from Montgomery” and “You Got the Silver”) – but, no, she does not deserve to be the centerpiece of a DT project.
Hope he returns to his senses – and the much more interesting stuff he does when she’s not around – soon.
Have to agree with what I have heard. Also, since you shared that CD by Carolyn Wonderland with me via back channel, twicks (and thanks again; she really has a great voice and the bulk of the material is really great), she really has a better instrument vs. Tedeschi for singing this type of material so I am looking at Tedeschi with less enthusiasm…argh.
Yeah, that actually went back into the active playlist – on the CD changer right after Revelator, which does not benefit from the comparison. Despite that one dreadful CW song.
Plus, I’m incapable of hearing the line “Don’t let me slide into my dark side” (which I just had to look up to find out what it was) as anything other than “Don’t let me slide into my dumpster.” Which actually might make for a more interesting song.
Saw them tonight – sixth row tickets blissful sigh – and they’re much, much better in person. They did several songs from the album, but also lots of jammin’ covers of classics. Derek broke a string on “Any Day” and another on … “Space Captain,” maybe? Excellent show – they played for almost two hours.