Prodigiously gifted young slide guitarist Derek Trucks may play with the Allman Brothers Band, but on Joyful Noise (Columbia), he and his group, the Derek Trucks Band, lead the listener on a gloriously eclectic excursion that ranges far beyond the Allmans’ Southern jam-rock sound. The title track is a New Orleans-style funk-soul romp, while “Lookout 31” is a freewheeling sonic exploration, and “Frisell” takes off from the guitarist celebrated in its title, as Trucks’ pensive melody lines are layered over solemn, stately percussion. The album also features numerous genre-spanning guest stars: Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, nephew of the late Pakistani Qawwali star Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, provides multitracked chanting vocals on his uncle’s “Maki Madni,” while R&B legend Solomon Burke and Trucks imbue “Home In Your Heart” and the slow-burning blues tune “Like Anyone Else” with plenty of soul. Ruben Blades turns in an energetic performance on the Latin number, “Kam-ma-lay,” and Trucks’ wife, singer Susan Tedeschi, digs deep into the bluesy “Baby You’re Right.”
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