Customer Reviews

Already Free [Vinyl]

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After releasing the tour de force album SONGLINES in 2006, I have eagerly awaited the follow up from the very talented Derek Trucks Band. While the newly released ALREADY FREE does not match the majesty of SONGLINES, it's still is a very good album by one of the best working bands out there.

To me, this album represents a tightening of their eclectic approach to music, no doubt trying to consolidate their fame as a great live group. ALREADY FREE focuses on the blues/soul side of the band at the expense jazz/world fusion side. While I miss the expansive jams that have highlighted their previous releases, the focus on songcraft and tight ensemble playing does not diminish the joy factor too much. Derek and the band provide a solid set of tunes in a swamp-funk blues style while expanding their songwriting chops and serving up some choice covers. My favorites include the opening semi-obscure Dylan tune DOWN IN THE FLOOD, BACK WHERE I STARTED which features a great vocal turn by Mrs. Trucks, Susan Tedeshi, GET WHAT YOU DESERVE and the slide guitar showcase I KNOW. Actually, all the songs are pretty good, to my ears, there's no real weak link here. The copy that I received also has 3 bonus tracks including a back porch blues called THE CHICKEN ROBBER SONG and a slow simmering instrumental SWAMP, another highlight. Throughout the album the band provides solid backing and provides good space for Trucks to solo. With all his chops, Trucks does not showboat as a soloist. He articulates his message short and sweet and always perfectly within the context of the song.

I hope that by taking a more conservative direction on this release that the DTB can gain some more well deserved recognition. I also hope that with that recognition that the band does on occasion revisit the wide ranging influences that have made their previous albums such a treat for music lovers. In the meantime, I'm sure I'll be getting plenty of listening pleasure from this one.

After having read the reviews here and elsewhere, I feel I have to voice a few disagreements... and a few agreements, of course.

Given the two-year hiatus between "Songlines" and "Already Free," I actually had less hope for "Already Free." I wasn't particularly a fan of "Songlines," though it had its moments for me. The live shows were where it was at for me; I have seen Derek Trucks with the Allman Brothers 3 times and with DTB 2 times, each show being a spectacle. I remember one in particular, last summer in Boulder, CO: My buddy took his brother with us, and after a 12-minute cover of "The Weight" (paying homage to Duane Allman's work with Aretha Franklin's version of the song), the kid goes, "... that's f***ing outrageous."

I was convinced that after "Songlines," the studio cuts that this band would put out would be more for the mainstream audience. Hell, I don't disagree that it would be a bad path to take: More people need to hear this man and his band. But to some extent we should wonder if the members of DTB really don't care.

So here's what I think of "Already Free": It's got to be the most wholesome album they've ever put out. (If not, it's a close second to "Joyful Noise.")

One thing that really put me off were the reviews that were expecting Derek to just go absolutely nuts, to rip up the scene and bring back the glory that he so eloquently brought to the slide guitar, and then saying he didn't do any of that on the entire album. (Yes, I found a few reviews like that.) That begs the question, did they just forget half of the album? Derek shines and delivers on well over half of the songs on "Already Free," and if you think he doesn't, just compare it to what he did on his other albums. Simply great work, and the rest of the band is tight as ever. I don't see how anyone could be disappointed.

Another I have to ask the columnists and reviewers that expected a "Soul Serenade" or some such slew of instrumental prowess: Do you even read the inserts in the CDs you probably get for free? It says right in the insert that "Already Free" is about togetherness, about family, about good music. This was recorded in Trucks' home studio, with family and friends abound. Why would this album be anything but what it is?

This is another successful step for DTB. It's just a natural progression: the debut instrumental insanity of "The Derek Trucks Band"; the ridiculously true blues of "Out of the Madness"; the simply phenomenal "Joyful Noise"; the jazzy "Soul Serenade"; the elemental live work on "Live At Georgia Theater"; the wordly "Songlines"; and finally, the wholesome "Already Free." Whether or not the band was shooting for the "mainstream" audience is irrelevant. They just want to write music, and that they do.

Particular favorites/highlights: "Down Don't Bother Me"; "I Know"

Particular lowlights: Doyle Bramhall II. Never really liked his voice, but the songwriting is still there.

And if you lost faith between "Songlines" and "Already Free," just go to a DTB concert. Your faith will be restored!

Warm, soulful, bluesy, relaxed: this describes the vibe here. Yet, this is the least Derek Trucks-like the guitarist has ever sounded. The focus has shifted onto the songs and their vocalists; Mike Mattison, Susan Tedeschi, and Doyle Bramhall III, abandoning the more interesting jamming of the past. Mostly, Derek takes a back seat, only really letting loose on three or four cuts. Gone are the elements of Jazz and World music associated with 2006's "Songlines" and other albums. All told, this outing is pleasant enough, yet most fans will find it overly restrained, if not a little stale. Upon repeated listening it simply lacks the payoff of Derek's earlier albums. It seems to be crafted with a more adult-contemporary, or mainstream, audience in mind. It suffers as a result.

The Derek Trucks band continue to develop into an entity in and of itself, not just a solo offshoot of The Allman Brothers Band. Everything about this album is inspiring, starting with the cover itself. I sense a very intentional theme of rising above the fray of life, and the ridiculousness of life in America in 2008/2009. It's a very forward thinking album, and looks more to the horizon than to the past. "It's always darker before the dawn" reads a line in "Maybe It's time." It's as eclectic as Songlines, and only time will tell which one I'll come to like better. The cohesiveness of this band is very apparent and you get a sense of brothers of the road making music that feeds the desires of their souls. Songlines have been an obsession of mine ever since I first heard it, and I have been waiting not-so-patiently for the follow up ever since. This band takes their music in the direction I wish music in general would go towards in the last part of this horrible, failed decade that has started out the new millennium. Overall, the music scene in America has been an embarrassment for a very long time. But real art in the form of music is starting to make a come-back, and I only hope it overwhelms the mainstream to replace [...] like American Idol, 50 Cent, Hinder, Nickelback, and the endless supply of generic manufactured bands that has helped destroy America's soul and intellect. The age of the "mega rock star" is over, or so we should all hope.

I am already a Derek Trucks band fan. The band is extremely diverse musically, playing everything from Delta blues, R&B, latin, soul, gospel, and jazz fusion to Pakistani qawwali ... and they continually reinvent the songs they play (e.g., the many versions of Soul Serenade). Already Free seems more focused, and more polished, than the band's other studio work ... perhaps because they had all the time they wanted in the new Trucks/Tedeschi home studio.

Already Free has a throwback feel, and seems to build on the Soul Stew Revival theme that Derek and his wife (Susan Tedeschi) were promoting in their recent tour. In an interview with Ryan Sparks, Derek described it as domestic/American roots, and less "in your face and obvious" than prior work. In his words: "It doesn't feel like there's something to prove or that it has to have extended guitar solos all over the place. Not that the next record won't have that, but I feel this was a nice diversion from that and a much more song oriented record."

I bought the "Down in the Flood" MP3 before the album's release, and loved it from the start. The song (a Bob Dylan cover) starts out acoustic and soulful, shifts to electric and funky, and builds to a crescendo (i.e., second guitar solo) like many of my favorite DTB tunes. Other immediate favorites: "I Know", "Down Don't Bother Me" (very different from past live performances) and "Sweet Inspiration" (a classic that Carlos Santana apparently convinced the band to play). The remainder of the album ... particularly "Something to Make You Happy", "Days is Almost Gone" and "Our Love" ... grew on me the more I listened and adjusted to the different tone of this new album.

Already Free has been criticized as a step back from Songlines, and for having a "mainstream" or "commercial" sound. Personally, excluding "Chevrolet" and "Crow Jane", I think that the best of Songlines was drawn from material that the band was already performing and/or had already recorded on Live at the Georgia Theatre. Already Free is a clear departure from the band's previous work (even if they have been performing "Down Don't Bother Me" in live shows for a while). In my opinion, Already Free is not a step back from Songlines, just a step in a different direction ... like many of the band's past releases (compare 2002's Joyful Noise to 2003's Soul Serenade). Already Free does sound more polished than Songlines, but I think it sounds retro more than mainstream or commercial, particularly when compared to "Revolution" on Songlines (the band's most commercial song to date).

If you're already a fan, I suggest that you forget Songlines, forget the Allman Brothers Band, and forget DTB's live shows ... just for a while ... and listen to Already Free on its own merit. The more you listen to Already Free, the more it will grow on you. In my case, Already Free grew from an album I "liked" (3-4 stars) to my favorite DTB studio album to date (5 stars).

My signed copy (!) of Already Free arrived from the US this morning, in the same post as my tickets for the April 22 DTB gig at Shepherds Bush Empire - an exciting day! I've listened to it a couple of times, and I think it's going to take a while to grow on me. There are some excellent, immediately accessible tracks, and the band is extended to include other musicians, notably Doyle Bramhall II, with whom DT played with Eric Clapton on tour last year, and who co-produces some of the tracks here. My first impression is that this album has a narrower musical spectrum than the superb Songlines, which is on almost permanent play in my car. However, each of the previous DTB albums have been rather different from one another, so I suppose fans should have expected this! This album is the first produced by DT himself, and recorded at his new studio at his home in Florida. I think that DT's innate humility has resulted in less prominence for his own playing and more emphasis on a group performance. It has a more bluesy feel than Songlines, with the world/roots influences definitely muted by comparison. However, my immediate feeling is that if I'd never heard Songlines, Already Free would be brilliant and worth 5 stars. So, I guess it's going to take a while to soak in, but I'm sure it will become a favourite in time - I find that albums with immediate payback pale after a while, but those you have to work at a bit are ultimately more rewarding. Definitely worth buying - and perhaps a more gentle way in to DTB than some previous albums.

For a long time fan of the DTB this new cd can be a bit of a let down, though not because of the quality of the songs or the consistency of the performances. The let down is the loss of the eclecticism of his previous works. Derek and his band shine on this album; there are no weak tracks. Derek is spot on and I believe the DTB is one of the best working bands out there. For Derek and his band it is all about the music and they complement him so well. For evidence of this see them live; they give one of the best live performances that you are likely to hear. This album has a more mainstream sound, which for me, is not as exciting, but still very listenable. Though I enjoy the early DTB, I believe the addition of Mike Mattison has added tremendously to the band. That said I feel that having Doyle Bramhall guest on a couple of tracks is a misstep. The songs are good, but I believe that his vocals interrupt the flow of the album and as a result the album has less of a band feel than it could. This is my only real complaint. All in all, I'm loving this album. I can't get enough of the DTB. Buy this you won't be disappointed.

Derek Trucks has already carved out a place for himself as the premier electric guitarist of his generation. Like many young players his recorded product has been a bit inconsistent, though each record has shown significant growth. His last record Songlines showed a maturing talent who was learning to play the studio as an instrument, and showed him absorbing the many stylistic influences into something that was uniquely his own. Already Free continues that growth, though hard core purists among us will probably be unhappy.

Already Free shows the influence of his year working with Eric Clapton, especiallly his embrace of more commercial forms of music. It also shows the vibe of his work with his own side project (if you can call it that) the Soul Stew Revival, his rollicking rock and blues revue with his wife Susan Tedeschi. Highlights of Already Free include a cover of Dylan's Down in The Flood, Something to Make You Happy which reminds me of mid-70's soul, perhaps War, and Get What You Deserve, a blistering rocker. My personal favorite is probably These Days is Almost Gone, a Kofi Burbridge tune that works perfectly.

While this record doesn't have a song with the highs of Songlines' This Sky, overall it is more consistent and the songs are stronger. it is an exceptional record, but the lack of transcendental moments knocks it down to 4 stars. A definite buy, and it will spend hours on the changer.

A friend of mine turned me on to the DTB band a couple of years ago by introducing me to the "Songlines" CD. I really enjoyed that one and was delighted when I heard that they had a new CD out. I have played this constantly since I got it and it is helping me get through the waiting period for the next Springsteen CD next week.

As one reviewer noted, this is more "mainstream" than other DTB CD's. However, that is not a bad thing IMHO. When scanning the other reviews I also noted like another reviewer did that several reviews said Derek did not play very much(???). I have to agree with his statement to these folks .. What CD were you listening to? Derek's playing is superb througout and he steps up on almost all the tracks. I think that because his sound melds so well with the band and does not dominate the sound, some may feel he is not tearing it up. Oh well, different strokes...

It is hard to single out any one track for me as I enjoyed each one. If you put a gun to my head and say I could pick a few, I guess I'd say "Down in the Flood", "Sweet Inspiration", and "Get What You Deserve". The two songs that Doyle Bramhall sang on were fine, but it would have interesting to hear Mike Mattison sing lead.

As I am writing this I have the DTB playing a mini set live on NPR. Great Stuff!

It's quite interesting to notice how TV appearances can alter sales of records on Amazon. DTB's Already Free was at #524 before their appearance on Good Morning America Thursday morning. Low and behold, apply booster engine, and Already Free moves up to the #120's in one day+. Any new listeners of DTB, please go to the live shows and see a great live performance by a tight unit that's been playing together for 6+ years now. I just saw the guys for the 6th time and had a terrific time yet again. I am convinced that DT will go down as the greatest guitarist of his generation for his live performances alone. Only 29, Derek will continue to grow, pleasantly surprise some long time fans, and add new ones. He's lightning in a bottle - catch him!