The Derek Trucks Band
Songlines
(Columbia)
Trucks continues to grow as a guitarist and bandleader, and so do the contributions of his bandmates. As the son of Allman Brothers drummer Butch Trucks, Derek has dutifully shown his blues pedigree. On Songlines, it’s the local fare on an exotic menu. A 10-minute treatment of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan melodies enters the compelling realm of South Asian shred. Trucks imitates the trance harmonics of a sitar, soothed by flute and periodically reasserting Southern rock marrow. Covers balance originals, with the rhythm section shining to the extent that brilliant fretwork has more impact than when it is central. When Trucks says “Band,” he means it.
—Doug Taylor
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.