Artist: Derek Trucks
Title: Joyful Noise
Writer: Rick Galusha
On his sophomoric release, Derek Trucks (nephew of Allman Brothers drummer Butch Trucks)has released an artistic mosaic that defies categorization and is certain to confound listeners. In the richest Fillmore-esque tradition, Trucks and band have amalgamated a fine tuned cornucopia of rootsy sounds into a sonic masterpiece.
"Oh sure, but what's that mean?" Today's market practically requires artists to dumb down their sound into a well defined niche so that any dope with fifteen bucks can figure it out. In the short term this means quick sales but tends to cost the artist long term career development. Not so with 'Joyful Noise.' Trucks and band lay out an album consisting of instrumentals, an Indian raga, a couple of soul ballads, a "Jazz" track, and a powerful blues song featuring Susan Tedeschi. The result is an eclectic, wonderful, challenging collection of songs that defy 'niche' but nonetheless fit together.
Relying on guest vocalists, Joyful Noise employs some of the day's most underappreciated singers including; Solomon Burke, Ruben Blades, Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and Mrs. Truck othewise known as Susan Tedeschi. And just to put a point on it, Tedeschi's track, 'Baby, You're Right' may be her finest recorded vocal delivery yet. Guitarist Trucks steals from the best including; Carlos Santana,Duane Allman, and John McLaughlin. Guitarists tend to be classified on a spectrum ranging from emotive (Mato Naiji) on one end to technical (Robert Fripp) on the other end. When a player is both expressive and technically adept, well, you have something special. Seeped in the '60's tradition of art before economics, Trucks' newest is a excellent example of a special player, who clearly understands the legacy of what that is "good music." 'Joyful Noise' pushes beyond the restrictive boundaries of today's music industry and somehow produces art in the art-starved genre that is rock music. 'Joyful Noise' is a rare gem that will over-time unfold to listeners and hold up to repeated listenings over the years to come. Psst - next time draft Chris Robinson or that kid from the Screaming Cheetah Wheelies for some vocal tracks)
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