If it’s not the Tedeschi Trucks band, then what group carries the blues and rock baton any better? The mix of Susan Tedeschi’s earthy and earnest voice, even more impressive as she picks her Fender with perfect complementary lines to Derek Trucks’ sliding Gibson, is one of the best advertisements for solidarity in marriage. The horn section of Kebbi Williams/sax, Elizabeth Lea/tb and Ephraim Owens/tp pack a STAX sounding whomp on the swampy “ Don’t Know What It Means” and growling “Right On Time” while the rhythm team of Kofi Burbridge/key-fl, Tyler Greenwall/dr, JJ Johnson/dr-perc, Tim Lefebvre/bs can go from a gospel embedded “ Bird on the Wire” to dirt under the nails blues of “Keep On Growing” without batting an eye. The backing vocals of “Mike Mattison/Mark Rivers and Alecia Chakour add extra texture to pieces like the soulful “I Want More.”
But it’s the mix of heartfelt vocals by Susan Tedeschi that grabs your attention, as she grabs your heart on “Just A Strange” while hubby Derek goes spacey on a hip read of George Harrison’s “Within You, Without You” and shoots like a sky rocket on “Leavin’ Trunk” and the bluesy “I Pity The Fool.” This 2 disc set captures the working band at their zenith, with a hip guest appearance by Alam Khan and his sarode (a mini sitar) fitting in on “These Walls” like extra seasoning on a juicy steak. The melding of lyricism, thoughtful messages and guitar workings make this a piece of music deserving to be framed in the Smithsonian.