Fantasy Records/ Swamp Family Music [Release date 20.03.26]

When your debut album wins a Grammy, the sense of overachievement could be something hard to deal with. Fortunately, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks seemingly saw this as an indication that they were heading in the right direction and joyfully followed that path ever since.

The husband-and-wife team have become leading lights on the scene, the band’s skillful and classy blend of blues and soul has seen them sell out arenas all over the world, with some saying they’re the natural successors to Fleetwood Mac but thankfully without the warring tensions that made ‘Rumours’ such a classic.

With five critically acclaimed full length studio releases already under their belts, ‘Future Soul’ joins the fray and it’s arguably their finest and most wide-ranging work yet.

It would be easy for the outfit to rest on their laurels, turning out albums that slavishly repeat the pattern of their past triumphs but the band are too smart to do that, striving instead for excellence by following wherever the music takes them.

Expanding on themes from previous albums, ‘Future Soul’ doesn’t seek to reinvent the wheel, just retool and explore different threads in bigger ways, the sprawling line-up giving them the flexibility to do exactly that.

The sound here is big, the production by Trucks and Mike Elizondo giving everything a warmth that brings to mind some of the very best that studios like the Muscle Shoals hot machine used to be imbued with during the 60’s and 70’s.

Given the wild heft of the previous, quadruple ‘I Am The Moon’ album, this latest release sees Tedeschi Trucks stripping things back a little comparatively, the eleven tracks here a perfect distillation of where they are now and the whole gives the very real impression that they certainly had fun whilst making it.

Opening, ‘Crazy Cool’ is an uber cool slice of laidback swing that’s full of the glorious sound of Stax at its height, the soulful sound of Tedeschi’s vocals warm and inviting.

It’s a winning start and the following ‘I Got You’ brings a touch of summer heat shimmering bluesy country, the best of Americana with roots that can be traced back decades.

As impressive as it is already, an absolutely incandescent ‘Who Am I’ knocks things totally out of the park, the early album gem one of its highest peaks as its timeless feel, soaring vocals and emotive guitar solo make it one of the most beautiful things we’ll hear all year.

Leaning into their heavier side, ‘Hero’ rocks and adds a gritty punch after the gossamer caress and ‘What In The World’ is a soul-soaked treat, the slide playing nothing short of breathless.

Placed squarely at the mid-point, the title track is staggeringly good and the peak of all they’ve achieved here, the simmering swagger turning into a boiling cascade of notes from some truly quicksilver fretwork.

Fortunately, the rest of the album never lets up in quality and whether it’s the woozy ‘Under The Knife’, country rock of ‘Be Kind’ or the Beatle-ish ‘Shout Out’, there’s much to enjoy.

Things close with the stunning ballad ‘Ride On’ and the only option is to hit the play button once again to submerge yourself in the whole thing for a second or third time.

Whilst the year is in its infancy, it would be hard to imagine many albums coming close to the sheer class and power of this release and with it, the Tedeschi Trucks Band have cemented their reputation and standing as one of the few bands worthy enough to follow in the footsteps of stadium fillers like the Eagles and aforementioned Fleetwood Mac.

Magnificent. *****

Review by Paul Monkhouse

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Power Plays w/c 2 March 2026

DODGY – It’s Not The End (Flip Flop Records)
THE SKBs – Hour Glass (indie)
LAKE – Boy On A Mission (indie)
KING FALCON Holding Out (indie)
HOKKA Heart Said No (Nuclear Blast Records)
STARBENDERS The Beast Goes On (Sumerian Records)
EDDIE AND THE WOLVES See Me Fall (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 2 March 2026

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Singer Songwriter)

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