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In this 2003 performance from the
Austin City Limits series (also available on
DVD), New England's Susan Tedeschi demonstrates a range that extends well beyond her blues base. Following the blueprint employed by
Bonnie Raitt a few decades earlier, she covers
John Prine's "Angel from Montgomery" (a signature tune for Raitt), inserting a snippet from the
Grateful Dead's "Sugaree." The piano balladry of her "Wrapped in the Arms of Another" could fit just fine on a Raitt album. The set also finds her sampling from the songbooks of
Sly Stone ("You Can Make It If You Try"),
Bob Dylan ("Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"), and
Stevie Wonder ("Love's in Need of Love Today"), in addition to the more straightforward blues of
Koko Taylor ("Voodoo Woman"). Though Tedeschi's stinging lead guitar provides the focus, she receives strong support from a band featuring the interplay of electric pianist Jason Crosby (who doubles on violin) and William Green on Hammond B-3 organ. Highlights include a tribute to jam-band inspiration
Col. Bruce Hampton on "Hampmotized" and the simmering "Wait for Me," with its echoes of
Aretha Franklin. Tedeschi has yet to show the suppleness as a vocalist to complement her guitar chops, but the musical range she displays here bodes well for her artistic development.
--Don McLeese