by Thom Jurek 　　This is, perhaps, the one. Derek Trucks has been on an aesthetic quest for something since he began his own recording career in 1997 -- apart from his membership in the Allman Brothers Band. Each record has gone further into establishing Trucks not only as a slide guitar wizard (that happened when he was still in his teens), but also as a serious songwriter, fine arranger, and bandleader. The Derek Trucks Band, as evidenced by the release of 2003's Soul Serenade, is a unit -- a band -- whose core has been together for eight years. They create an atmosphere, a sound, a musical sense of place and community. On Live at the Georgia Theater (available only on the Internet), the DTB performed with new vocalist Mike Mattison, who gave them something they needed: a strong, utilitarian presence that could be as diverse and adventurous as the band was musically. This album's title, Songlines, was inspired by the late author Bruce Chatwin's description of aboriginal creation myths. According to these myths, the world was sung into existence by totemic elder beings who wandered the Australian continent along invisible pathways. These were later known as "songlines" because by singing out the names of everything -- trees, flowers, streams, animals, clouds, earth -- they breathed form, order, and beauty into a world that was being born. The DTB try to express something similar on their first real studio recording with assistance by producer Jay Joyce. This album was not recorded trying to capture a live performance in the confines of a studio. There are no tracks here that give way to loose jamming; these are songs. In fact, it was carefully crafted and executed. But the rawness, the energy, and the unpredictable musicality are everywhere present. ... Read More...