Derek Trucks Band: Songlines

The young slide-guitar slinger continues pushing the envelope with an eclectic pastiche of blues, Indian ragas, Southern rock and reggae. Fronted by soul-stirring vocalist Mike Mattison, this latest edition of the DTB easily shift gears from Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s African-flavored chant number “Volunteered Slavery” to catchy blues-rockers like “I’ll Find My Way,” “Revolution” and “All I Do,” to gospel-flavored numbers like “I’d Rather Be Blind, Crippled and Crazy” and the joyous “I Wish I Knew.” Trucks improvises freely against a tamboura drone on “Shaib Teri, Bandi/Maki Madni,” an extended piece by the late Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan that builds to an ecstatic peak with the guitarist unleashing his considerable slide chops. He switches from overdriven electric guitar on “Crow Jane” to acoustic dobro on “Chevrolet,” then summons up a kind of Ali Farka Toure African feel on “Mahjoun” before dipping back into an Indian mode on the intro to the affecting ballad “This Sky,” a piece that highlights his inherent lyricism with the slide.

A remarkably expressive player, Trucks continues to explore on his instrument outside the confines of his regular touring gig with the Allman Brothers. This adventurous CD is the next step in his ongoing journey.

Originally Published April 1, 2006