After a poetic exploration in I Am The Moon, Tedeschi Trucks Band change pace to give us quicker, fun jams that might reach the broader public on how brilliant this 12-member band still is.
Tedeschi Trucks Band already have the combo of the greatest slide guitarist and vocalist duo to have ever graced the American music scene. Since their inception, they have brought out elements of culture, dreams, and captured places inside and outside the world we live in. In 2022, their lunar-themed quadruple release took us to another realm. In case you haven’t noticed, our realm isn’t doing very great still. The band takes us to another degree of escapism with Future Soul, and we’re now looking at Tedeschi and Trucks as heroes in a more ‘punk’ appeal, pivoting from their prior release. This is called Future Soul.
The guitar brings the groove
With Susan’s trusty Fender and Derek’s stylish Gibson SG, expect every song to have their signature groove float through (except on the title track he plays a Flying V). Like every album they’ve released, Tedeschi Trucks Band try to enter spaces where the feeling reigns. If there’s a great bluesy riff that you can bop your head to, you can expect Trucks to give you solos straight from the Gods. Crazy Cryin’ opens up this album – and expect a funky opening sliding into a hopeful, rising chorus that leaves you with the power of flight. The choir rising from the background towards the end is what you’ll expect, a spectacle that can be heard.
I Got You comes in next, a sweet and quick shuffle ballad with all the hues of love you’d want to hear. The rhythm becomes familiar fast, and you find yourself humming it the second time around. Since the band have switched to Swamp Raga Recording Studio in Jacksonville, Florida, their sound is tailored to the 12-piece setup, with production balanced and layered enough for you to appreciate every band member’s contribution in the songwriting process. There’s a home to be found in riffs like Who Am I, treating you to sophisticated, clean tones with lyrics that look inward rather than outward. Those easy-breeze Midnight in Harlem feel can be heard in this, truly having the steam to become an intense solo session for Derek Trucks to splatter vivid colours on.
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TTB and their trajectory
The punk-like feel is definitely felt on songs like Hero. Simple chord progressions with punchy drum parts and transitions bring you into the envelope of Tedeschi Trucks Band expressing their most innate lyrical parts. Susan Tedeschi moves between rockstar screams and gospel vocals within seconds, showing us how prolific her sound has become to this signature. The kind of high we build to is something of a spectacle when it will be performed live at the Beacon, mark my words. The soft track that is What In The World comes in next, Trucks flowing through with the slide with the soul of the wind carrying a forlorn kite.
In terms of an album, you might not find such a uniquely approached one in a long time. As far as arrangements go, it is one Derek Trucks is the most proud of. Having no weak spots, we’re never left lamenting outcomes when we can swing into blues rock magic in no time. This is where the album title track comes in. Susan’s lyrics linger for longer, a question more for us to think about than it being a part of the song. Does our future have soul in it? By the way it’s going, it might be us looking really hard for it. Thankfully there’s music like this which makes us believe so.
The production designing the music
Listening to Mike Mattison on vocals for Under the Knife definitely shifts the vibe. Though I’m missing Derek Trucks trading his guitar voice with Susan as it has always been, this is more approachable as ‘pop’-led songs, none of them exceeding the 5-minute mark. Perhaps recording with their first external producer in many years Mike Elizondo has had this effect. Elizondo has been known to have led songs for Dr Dre, Fiona Apple, Eminem and Carrie Underwood. It would be natural to make a band as talented as Tedeschi Trucks more approachable to the radio listener. Though I’m not a fan of removing an important imprint of the collective, the timestamps do have a different compositional style coming through.
Pop rock coming through
We ease into that blues rock groove with Be Kind. It’s one of the times the entire brass arrangement of the band stands out, leading us into the chorus. Like other singles that were released, it’s evident that you’ll remember the second time around when the verse comes about. I loved how this blended into Devil Be Gone, smoother transitions and textures cropping up to change the theme. The guitar stands out as well, with Trucks imitating the vocal lines with his own pizazz. Shout Out is once again a Susan Tedeschi-owned track for how she leads with the vocal rhythms. Given that this is a 12-member band, it is quite impressive to think how tightly wrapped these songs are – while having what the band carries well the most: future soul.
Although I liked how the album is arranged thematically, it’s not like the lyrics suggest otherwise. The band does blend more blues-rock as a surprise flavour but retains their highlight of soulful melodies. The only thing you’ll miss is most probably the reason why you discovered the Tedeschi Trucks Band. That guitar sings like it owes its landlord money. Live shows, you might show me a side of these songs which has Derek Trucks wailing on them like he deserves to on his trusty SG. Dive into the incredible album, perfect in many ways, just lacking the frills of the greatest slide guitarist of our generation:
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