Tedeschi Trucks Band
Future Soul
** out of *****
Following up on their stretched out, expansive four album collection I Am The Moon, Tedeschi Trucks Band has scaled back ambitions releasing eleven shorter tracks via their new album Future Soul. While professional and pleasant the group never lives up to the album title promise.
The twelve piece outfit are top notch musicians as the band (Brandon Boone – bass guitar, Alecia Chakour – background vocals, tambourine, Gabe Dixon – Hammond B3, piano, keyboards, background vocals, Isaac Eady – drums, percussion, Emmanuel Echem – trumpet, Tyler Greenwell – drums, percussion, shaker, Elizabeth Lea – trombone, Mike Mattison – background vocals, acoustic guitar, vocals, Mark Rivers – background vocals, shaker, Susan Tedeschi – vocals, electric guitar, background vocals, Derek Trucks – electric guitar; acoustic guitar, electronic percussion, Kebbi Williams – saxophone) worked with multi-instrumentalist/producer Mike Elizondo (50 Cent, Eminem, Linkin Park).
When this partnership was announced many fans may have been scared that TTB would be trying to go pop, but that is definitely not the case. While there aren't any twelve minute instrumentals this go around, TTB still focuses on modern soul, rock, blues and folk, yet they reign in their jam tendencies. If there was a current jamband that could produce a top notch studio effort TTB would be to look at, but that isn't the case this go around.
Future Soul has some sweet tunes, but will not override the fact that the band works best live and on stage stretching out. Tedeschi is the highlight on this studio effort as her vocals get the spotlight and shine brightly. Trucks' guitar solos are few and far between. If anything, a pop focused move would have been more daring as this album feels safe and a touch redundant.
A track like "Be Kind" sums up the groups effort here as the song plays like an old soul number. Tedeschi's vocals are convincing, the horns are bright, but overall it is lacking that punch to fully elevate it. Same could be said for the light motoring soul of "I Got You" which features Tedeschi' best vocals on the album, and the blues rock duetting guitar offering "Devil Be Gone"; each are good but well short of great overall.
The best efforts are the opening "Crazy Cryin'" that is pulled from the swamps with The Meter's influence coursing throughout and the title track which delivers a revved up fuzzy rocker. "What In The World" has a nice acoustic foundation and excellent electric work from Trucks to end while "Under The Knife" just may be the best of the bunch as Mattison sings co-lead on a tune with interesting lyrics.
For the majority of Future Soul the band feels a touch restrained as "Hero" flirts with meta but never fully takes the plunge (that genre would be very interesting with this group of players) and "Shout Out" wants to play anthemic in a "Let It Loose" Rolling Stones fashion but again never fully explodes, remaining unassuming and in the end forgettable. Better is "Ride On" which has Jason Isbell modern country/folk influence, ending the record on a high note.
Outside of the bad/almost AI looking album cover choice, the album is solid, yet the songs never truly great. That will probably change once these tracks receive the live treatment as the constantly touring TTB will pump new energy into them on a nightly basis.
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