Rating: NNN
Nephew of Allman Brother drummer Butch Trucks, Derek is a guitar maestro who can make his instrument sing like an opera star, howl like a Delta bluesman, evoke Eastern mysticism or create a new language if the mood strikes, and Songlines culls from all these forms. Trucks lets his guitar do the talking, and Mike Mattison takes care of the singing. This album offers superb percussion by Yonrico Scott and Count Mbutu, who bring the Eastern-influenced Sahib Teri Bandi/Maki Madni and Mahjoun into brilliant focus. The playing is superb throughout, but the album unfortunately dips into a safe MOR sound. This undermines the truly beautiful timing and phrasing that make the band so easy to digest and takes away from the impact of the more adventurous numbers.