The Tedeschi Trucks Band continues to thrill audiences on their Wheels of Soul summer tour and now have the third album in the four-part series “I Am the Moon” to draw from with The Fall. We have covered the first two installments, Crescent and Ascension, hence, we will dispense with the usual background information and get right to the chase.
While Ascension, a set of seven tension-filled songs spotlighted the two co-leaders almost to a fault, The Fall, like the first offering, Crescent, returns to a more democratic effort. Keyboardist Gabe Dixon has writing credits on three of six tunes, including two where non-band members served as his co-writer. Vocalist Mike Mattison also shares three of the writing credits including one that he penned alone. They both share vocals with Tedeschi on one tune, each being the lone vocalist on two others, and Tedeschi teams with the band’s two other vocalists, Alicia Chakour and Mark Rivers on one tune each.
They begin with “Somehow,” penned by Dixon and Tia Sellers, with Susan alone on lead vocals on a tune that begins with blaring horns and Trucks’ piercing lead as the lyrics speak to headlong love despite several reservations raised in the first few verses. Trucks laces the tune with fierce solos, a brief one at the three-minute mark, and a blistering outro that runs for about a minute and a half. “None Above,” penned by Mattison and Tedeschi, sparkles with the three unison vocal parts of that twosome joined by Chakour. It’s a brief two and half minute tune that stands out due to its brevity, the absence of the horn section and those lush vocals. T
Tedeschi is the lone writer and vocalist on the gospel-infused shuffle, “Yes We Will” where she and Trucks trade bluesy guitar licks, the horns sit out again, and the three background vocals serve as a gospel choir on the choruses for Tedeschi’s urgent vocals bespeaking the will to overcome apocalyptic times – “So when you wake up one morning/And there’s no food up on your shelf/And you run to the kitchen faucet/And no water pours out the spout/Things are gonna be just fine, yes they will/Things are gonna be alright, yes they will/We know time ain’t on our side/So we better get it right this time/Things are gonna be just fine, yes they will.” The guitars exit awash in wah-wah effects, a rare touch but one that amplifies the disoriented nature of the lyrics.
“Gravity,” penned by Dixon and Oliver Wood, is a funky, snappy tune featuring the full cast sans Tedeschi. Dixon takes the lead vocal and receives backing from the three-part vocal section, the horn section augmented by Adrian Jackson on sousaphone, and soaring guitar lines from Trucks throughout. Mike Mattison scores with his piano-driven ballad “Emmaline,” a rarity in that there are no lead guitar parts, as the co-leaders are content to strum. and the background vocalists add an elegant touch to this gorgeous, melodic tune. “Take Me As I Am” is the closer, a gospel-infused ballad with Susan sharing the lead vocals with Mark Rivers and all band members contributing to this flat-out surrender to love. Trucks delivers his most lyrical solo on the disc and the full band just basks in the bliss of the lyrics.
Like Crescent, The Fall wins in part due to its eclecticism. Yet, its major strength lies in the songwriting, which is clearly the best of the three parts so far. Stay tuned for Farewell, the final piece which drops on August 26th. The full box set containing all four albums will be available in September.
