Tedeschi Trucks: "I Am The Moon", Four times pleasure for 2022

It is a very rare thing these days, or any day for that matter, to have a husband and wife playing in the same band. But that is exactly what happened back in 2010.

Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks each had their own band, but decided that it would be best for them to combine forces and have their own band as one unit. In twelve years, Tedeschi Trucks have become one of the finest blues and blues/rock bands that have ever graced the scene. In that short time, Tedeschi Trucks has evolved into one of the most successful bands in the blues genre. Along the way, Tedeschi Trucks has amassed awards from all parts of the blues and blues/rock worlds. In 2014, Blues Music Awards made them the Best Blues Band, Blues/Rock album of the year in 2017, and Grammy Award Winners in 2018.

So far they had released four studio albums and three live albums. Not one album for 2022, but four albums, all connecting and revolving with one another. It is a musical journey of epic proportions, each album having the title, I Am The Moon, then subse­quent mini titles to mark each album. 

Reviewing all four albums, we can say without fear or trep­idation that this collection of music is the finest of their wonderful career so far. It represents their feelings for gospel, soul, and of course blues music. As a touring band, they are due to play a series of gigs in The UK in November. We can be sure that many of the songs on the I Am The Moon series will feature heavily in the live shows.

"I Am The Moon: Episode I. Crescent" is the first of four albums that are being released by Tedeschi Trucks Band. 24 original songs will make up the four albums that have been inspired in no small way by a 12th Century poet by the name of Nizami Gonjavi. The basis of the poem was used as a huge influence on the making of Layla, And Other Assorted Love Songs, which Tedeschi Trucks covered in a live setting a couple of years ago. It seems that Layla was the main character behind the original poem.

Anyway, back to the album in question, "I Am The Moon: Episode I. Crescent" contains just five songs, but has a playing time of well over thirty minutes, so in essence, you are getting a full album of material. Hear My Dear opens the album in true Tedeschi Trucks style. Susan Tedeschi’s vocals pour through the speakers better than we’ve ever heard her before. The whole band is on fire right from the start, and Derek Trucks’ slide guitar work is something to behold. The mixture of soul, R"n”B, and blues gel so well together, as they always have done. Harmonies play a significant part in this band’s make-up, never more so than on the title track, I Am The Moon. Alongside great musicians, the harmonies and vocal talents ooze through this song like a knife through butter. There is not a chink in their armour, nothing is out of place, whether it is with the writing, playing, or the overall production. The final track, Pasaquan, is a twelve-min­ute instrumental that will take you back to albums in the 70s. Now, back then, long instrumentals could be a tad boring, but not this one.

"I Am The Moon: Episode II. Ascension”. This album contains seven songs of such brilliance, just as brilliant as the first album in the series. Playing With Emotion opens II Ascension, and it certainly does not disappoint. Susan Tedeschi has one of the most powerful soul, blues, and gospel voices around today. The emotion of the song hits you from the off. An amazing collection of musicians pull together to make this song so full of feeling and yes, emotion. As usual, Derek Trucks takes the lead and rhythm guitar duties and does not disappoint. The band has the very rare ability to make a studio album and have the same feelings as a live performance. And, that is not as easy as it sounds. That is what makes Tedeschi Trucks so special. A combination of awesome musi­cianship, fantastic writing, and know-how as to providing the listener with a unique experience. Ain’t That Something sees GABE Dixon sharing vocal duties alongside Susan, I’m almost at a loss for words as to how good this song is. So Long Saviour is as blues as you can get, and also quite raunchy in its delivery. This is where the heart of the band lies, blues with a hint of raunchiness and devil-may-care attitude. The horn section contributes so much to the album, as on every album, and in a live setting, they are truly remarkable as a unit. This 4-album collection will, surely, go down as one of the 21st century’s greatest amalgamation of blues, soul, and gospel music. It is a rare thing for one band to contain such beauty and craft in everything that they do. Tedeschi Trucks band is phenomenal. A collection of musical genius.

"I Am The Moon: Episode III. The Fall”. The third installment in this fabulous montage of musical delight starts with Somehow, written by Gabe Dixon and Tia Sillers. Each of these albums although in a series of 4, has an identity of its own. This opening track amplifies that so well. The sweet vocals of Susan Tedeschi with the band, and in particular, Derek Trucks playing as if his very life depended on it. The Fall is a much looser album than the previous two. It seems to have more swing and liquidity about it. The tracks on this album are slightly harder, more blues and rocky, a sort of in-your-face approach. 

Whenever anyone mentions Tedeschi trucks, they automatically rave about the vocal talents of Su­san, and the extraordinary playing of Derek, and these are two very understandable points. However, that’s not all that this band has in its arsenal. You also need to consider the writing capabilities of both Susan and Derek, and also other members of the band. Take for example Gravity, written by Gabe Dixon and Oliver Wood. This song gives way to the dirtier side of the blues, the raunchy side, it swings like hell. All six tracks here, move and swing more than the first two albums, but still there remains an underlying sense of soul and emotion. I can’t think of any other band that is capable of producing albums like this, especially in a series such as this. The final track, Take Me As I Am, once again demonstrates the beautiful voice of Susan Tedeschi. A very fitting way to end another fantastic milestone in this marvelous series of albums. Bravo.

"I Am The Moon: Episode IV. Farewell”. This is the final piece of the musical jigsaw. The fourth album of this amazing collection of ma­terial from this truly amazing band. Over the four albums, the tempo and music have twisted and turned every which way. That is what brings me the most joy, the ever-changing moods and genres, soul, gospel, and of course blues. There are six songs on this album, each one a musical gem. Soul Sweet Song epitomizes this so well, the actual title of the song leaves you in no doubt as to what the tune will be like. I swear that both Susan and Derek have become more ac­complished artists through this whole adventure. With songs such as this, they have grown and taken these songs to a new plateau. 

The mainstay of the band is the vocals of Susan and the playing of Derek, but let’s not forget just how good they are as songwriters. Their songwriting skills have evolved along with their musical interpretations, making the four albums such a pleasurable listening experience. What also shines through are the wonderful backing vocals and the production of everyone involved. This is an all-around wonderful produc­tion by great musicians. The release of four albums back-to-back is not your everyday occurrence, this release by Tedeschi Trucks will be remembered for a very longtime. Not just because of the release of the four albums, but because of the magnificent songs that adorn these four albums.