Susan Tedeschi

Back To The River (2008)

Talking About/700 Houses/Back To The River/Love Will/Butterfly/People/Learning The Hard Way/Revolutionize Your Soul/True/There's A Break In The Road/Can't Sleep At Night/Love Me Don't Hate Me

Gritty, car oil soaked guitar-driven Southern soully blues from a woman in a strappy vest top who don’t take no bull from no man. (Actually hubby Derek Trucks is on guitar here). There is a soulful, Steve Cropper, Stax-y tone to Susan’s guitar playing and she just has a wonderful, husky voice. Most of my reviews are of 70s music, peppered with anecdotes about life in 1973 or whatever. I am not able to do that here. What I can say, though, is that Susan Tedeschi can play the blues. And some. This album is a breath of fresh air. We would seem to be blessed with a slew of lady bluesers at the moment - Joanna Connor, Grace Potter, Joanne Shaw Taylor and of course, Susan Tedeschi
                 
Susan plays a mean slide guitar, particularly on the title track and the later era Springsteenesque 700 Houses. Other highlights are the lighter People, There's A Break In the Road and Learning The Hard Way, which has echoes of 70s blues rockers Free. Revolutionize Your Soul is a soulful, brass-powered slow blues ballad. At times, it could almost be Southside Johnny. Check the guitar on Love Me Don't Hate Me too.

No need to analyse much more here. Just pour yourself a shot of Jack Daniels and let Susan do the rest.