"Already Free" Plants A Seed

Okay, so I've had the new Derek Trucks album for a few days now and have been digging into it.

What was I thinking, saying that there wasn't any blistering slide? There is, but you have to look at the songs in isolation. The CD actually hits you in the face with the 'hot' songs right up front, then mellows out, leaving you in a calm, tranquil place. It's not that the fire isn't there, it's just quenched by the 'down-homey-ness' of the second half.

It's actually interesting to me that whilst Derek and the boys injected huge variety into their previous CDs by making then genre- and globe-spanning in their styling, here the variety is actually 'within' a style, using instrumentation. And when I say 'instrumentation' I'm primarily talking in terms of the variety of guitar sounds that Derek's experimented with... or at least, as a guitarist, that's what I hear.

Derek's 'classic' sound kicks in on Track 1, "Down In The Flood", transforms itself into some funky chops on "Something To Make You Happy". By the time you get to Track 4, "Sweet Inspiration", which has an unashamedly gospel vibe, Derek actually sounds like he's taken inspiration from 70's Clapton and is using what I call a 'quack' tone for the rhythm groove. If you listen to the extended jams from the Layla sessions you'll see what I mean.

After a brief sojourn into 'jump' then laid back 70's pop/rock we set our course southbound, heading for the Delta, taking it home for the title track, "Already Free".

I told you I'd love this CD in the end. It's not as accessible as some and I'd still recommend that anyone wanting a glimpse of 'the real band' should just head out and see them play live. That's the way this band rolls.

HOT OFF THE PRESS!

The Derek Trucks Band with Susan Tedeschi will be headlining the Southern-State Ball at the inauguration of Barack Obama! Unfortunately, I don't think that's one of the balls that our friends who are attending got tickets for! Oh well!

"Already Free", First Impressions...

Okay, so obviously I'm a Derek Trucks Band fan so first thing to say is that I'm bound to love it, if not now then at some point in the not-too-distant future!

My first impression is that it's a lot more laid back than the band's last two albums. Recorded at Derek's new home studio, it sounds like the kind of record you'd make if you were just kicking back with family & friends and having a good time with it. It's not fiery like "Joyful Noise" (still my favourite album) and it's not as much of an attempt to showcase the live show in the studio as "Songlines" was.

For those of you who know singer Mike Mattison's side-project, Scrapomatic, there's a touch of that vibe in there. There are hints of gospel, blues(ish), soul... lots of things. A couple of the tracks, like "Our Love" are real curve-balls. Guest vocalists Susan Tedeschi and Doyle Bramhall II add their own colour and feeling to the mix. In particular, Bramhall brings in some 70's tinged soft rock/soul crossover. What's mostly gone are the Eastern influences of the jazz stylings. It's all very 'back porch'. The track that Susan supplies vocals for, "Back Where I Started From", is possibly most representative of the overall 'airy' feeling of the album.

Oh, and Derek's new home studio sounds great! Production is really good.

Actually, what's just struck me is how much Derek's trademark blistering slide work plays second fiddle to the songs themselves. You can tell it's Derek playing (as you always can) but mostly he provides a gentle lapping wave rather than a earth-engulfing tsunami. And that's alright. His sound is relaxed and confident but not overpowering. Every single one of the band's albums is different so the style of this new offering isn't a huge surprise. Moreover their albums are a separate entity from their live shows. I'm 100% sure that played live all these tunes can be whipped up into a frenzy.

I'll admit I'm not totally sold on one single listen through, but I have no doubt I'll buy into it in the long run. I'm seeing a lazy summer afternoon, doors flung wide open and long, cool cocktails with good friends.

Exciting Times!

Okay, so Obama has won the 2008 US Presidential election with a landslide. Doesn't need a recount. No point in complaining that it was too close to call. He even won in FLORIDA! All done and dusted, time to get on with it.

The world turns. It's another day.

All the election hype rather overshadowed the other major event of yesterday, though. What was it? I shall tell you!

Maybe I won't...

Maybe I will...

Oh, alright. I will. The Derek Trucks Band released their first single from their hotly anticipated (by me) new album, "Already Free", which is due out in the new year. It's on digital download (probably a smart marketing move, though a little too techie for me).

From the band's website:

The new DTB single "Down in the Flood" will be available through iTunes and all major digital music providers Nov. 4, a little taste for those of you eagerly awaiting the new dTb studio album Already Free (due in stores Jan '09).

Already Free was self-produced by Derek at his new home studio in Jacksonville. In addition to the core members of the dTb, the album offers collaborations with a close circle of family and friends including Doyle Bramhall II, Oteil Burbridge, Susan Tedeschi, Duane Trucks and more. The album came to life organically in Derek's backyard as friends stopped by to write and rehearse in the new studio. Derek explained in a recent interview: "When we went in the studio originally it was just to write and kind of get comfortable in the space. It wasn't to do a record, so there was no pressure. There were some times when everybody would go out to dinner and I would stay behind. If I got an idea, I would run into the control room, hit 'play,' then run out into the recording room and set up a mic. You'd hear this thing banging around and then this guitar part comes in. A lot of the album was completely done by the seat of our pants, and a lot of the sounds we got, it was just so in the moment."

Original material makes up a major part of this record, largely due to a luxury Derek isn't used to: time off. His hectic schedule finally opened a window for Derek to write at home with band mates and friends. "Everyday I would get up, and me or Susan would drive our two kids to school," Derek says. "I'd come back, have some coffee and then head to the studio and start messing around with a guitar and hope a song idea appeared. Somehow without fail, there was at least a song written every day, or some great cover idea that came to us and we recorded it. So there was a good three or four-week period where every day we were writing and recording a song. That was different for me." In addition to the wealth of original material on Already Free there are some choice cover songs interpreted and revived as only the dTb can do, including the single being released in November. "Down in the Flood," from Bob Dylan and the Band's Basement Tapes, is a tune that may have more portent now than when Dylan wrote it in 1967. "That was one that was kind of an afterthought," admits Derek. "We just went in and tracked it. I think it really turned out to be one of the most powerful songs on the album. Lyrically, it's pretty timely. Crash on the levee, down in the flood, are significant post-Katrina. They are good metaphors, as there are in most Dylan tunes."

So, two big memos-to-yourselves on November 4th: 1) Participate in democracy by casting your vote, and 2) check out "Down in the Flood" for some fresh dTb!

For me, the dTb has always been about live performance, so it'll be interesting to see how this new work from Derek's own home studio comes out. I have to say I love the sound of the recording process. I must remember to pop around to his place for dinner sometime. Maybe I'll end up inspriring a song or two on his next (or the one after... or the one after that) album.

You never know...