Tedeschi Trucks Band - Revelator

Since the listening public became aware of the talent that is Derek Trucks, he has been on a quest.  With each successive record he’s put out, he’s proving himself to be a fairly good songwriter, a fine arranger and bandleader.  The sounds he has pursued include rock, blues, jazz, funk, gospel and Eastern modal music.  His band’s performances are incendiary, full of improvisation and inspiration.   To my ears, he is the reincarnation of the late Duane Allman.  It’s fitting this slide guitar wizard occupies Duane’s chair as one of the two guitarists [with Warren Haynes] in the Allman Brothers Band.  One of his albums [Soul Serenade] is almost completely instrumental, save a guest vocal turn from Gregg Allman.  One album [Joyful Noise] features several vocalists, including Rubén Blades, Solomon Burke, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Javier Colón, and Susan Tedeschi [Mrs. Derek Trucks].  Songlines and Already Free find the Derek Trucks Band hitting its stride with a permanent vocalist [Mike Mattison].  Both albums have carefully crafted and executed songs that don’t lend themselves to jamming.  Through all the Derek Trucks Band albums he has proven hard to pigeonhole into any specific style.  This guy is always searching for the lost chord.

Susan Tedeschi – what can I say about her that hasn’t already been said by others?  Pick your favorite superlative to describe her as a vocalist and it will fit.  She’s been around since she graduated from the Berklee College of Music.  I first heard her sing John Prine’s Angel From Montgomery on Warren Haynes’ first Christmas Jam CD.  Since that discovery, I’ve since acquired Wait For Me, Back to the River, and Hope and Desire.  The first two are electrifying guitar blues with her band and contain both originals and select covers.  The last is all covers, where Susan shows off her ability to interpret others work, much in the same way as Emmylou Harris.  It’s a step away from her usual blues guitar albums – she concentrates only on her singing.  Susan met Derek Trucks in 1999 when her band opened some dates for the Allman Brothers Band.  They got married in 2001, had a baby, appeared as guests on each other’s albums, had another baby, built their own home studio [Swamp Raga Studios], then they decided they wanted to spend more time together as a family.  The couple began touring as the Soul Stew Revival.  Now the Tedeschi Trucks Band, this unit features players from both bands [Mike Mattison and Kofi Burbridge from DTB, Tyler Greenwell from Susan Tedeschi’s band], bassist Oteil Burbridge of the Allman Brothers, another drummer [JJ Johnson], another backup vocalist [Mark Rivers], and a horn section [11 players in all]. 

Now that Derek and Susan have put their respective bands on ice for the time being, they’ve produced an album of original songs, Revelator.  One might expect a band with so many instruments to sound like a mess, but Derek and Susan make it work.  The template for the album can be found on Susan’s Revolutionize Your Soul from Back to the River.  It’s got Derek, horns, and background singers.  They also continue the song craft that Derek began with Songlines and Already Free.  All songs on Revelator are Tedeschi Trucks Band originals.  I’ve seen it written that this band is a lot like Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, and that description is pretty accurate.  This band is all over the stylistic map - love songs [Midnight in Harlem], more Eastern modal stuff mixed with soul [Simple Things], bluesy gospel [Don’t Let Me Slide], a touch of New Orleans [Until You Remember], funk [Love Has Something To Say].  And did I say Susan is a pretty good guitar player in her own right?  Check out her guitar work on Love Has Something To Say.

Revelator is a fairly well-executed fusion of the best musical abilities of Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks.  It’s good, but not great.  If I have a complaint it’s that there are too many slow, laid back tunes.  I think they played it a little too safe.  I’ve heard Derek play “lights out” with the Allman Brothers – check out any version they’ve done of I Walk on Gilded Splinters and you’ll know what I mean.  I don’t expect Derek to solo his brains out, but I do expect to hear more of what made him noticed than what I hear on Revelator.  The rhythm section just doesn’t pick up the pace.  I know bassist Oteil Burbridge is capable of much, much more - I’ve heard it. That fire just isn’t on Revelator.  I count three songs that sound like they have some pace to them – the opener Come See About Me, Learn How to Love, and Love Has Something Else to Say.  Maybe there will be more up-tempo numbers next time.  I certainly hope so.  If you want a record to relax to, then Revelator is for you.  If you want to get your adrenaline going, look elsewhere.