Tedeschi Trucks Band

The Tedeschi Trucks Band are widely recognised as one of the biggest and best blues acts currently on the circuit. That rep will be further enhanced with this new outing, coming just a year after live effort Everybody's Talkin', which showcased their performance prowess. Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi were previously stars as solo artists, but they reach new heights in this group. The "Band" in their moniker are nine other gifted musicians, which results in a powerhouse act, featuring two drummers, a horn section and plenty of backing vocals. Despite the massed personnel, nothing sounds cluttered or excessive. Tedeschi is at the top of her game vocally, oft-sounding reminiscent of a young Bonnie Raitt (as on "Misunderstood" and "Do I Look Worried"), while Trucks is as fluent as ever. The couple are smart in enlisting some ace songwriting partners; Gary Louris (of Jayhawks fame) co-wrote two strong songs with the pair, as did John Leventhal, Sonya Kichell and Texan great Doyle Bramhall II. Ballads and driving blues-rockers are both served up, with the stripped-down (vocal- and guitar-only) last track, "Calling Out To You," providing a satisfying coda to a consistently strong effort.