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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
ALREADY FREE 4 1/2 *'S, January 14, 2009
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.
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33 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Feel-Good Soul Blues For 2009 (3 1/2 Stars), January 13, 2009
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.
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24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Phenomenal, January 21, 2009
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!
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