Hope and DesireArtist: Tedeschi, SusanGenre: Blues Publisher: Verve-Forecast Released: 2005 |
A Review by Kevin Buffington
10/15/2005
Hope and Desire is Tedeschi's attempt to do exactly that, and I have little doubt that she'll be enormously successful with it, even if the album isn't her best work. Hope and Desire is a slickly produced collection of soulful covers that just isn't as inspiring as her previous albums. Covering songs has a long and healthy tradition in the blues, and Susan chooses songs that she can do justice to, but the album doesn't quite have the fire of Just Won't Burn or even Wait for Me.
Part of the problem might be the circumstances of the albums recording. Tedeschi's longtime band is absent, as is Tedeschi's quite impressive guitar playing unfortunately. In are a group of professional studio musicians who are competent but not quite as exciting. Fortunately, the choice of Doyle Bramhall II (Arcangels, Sheryl Crow) to handle guitar duties was an inspired choice. I would have preferred to hear Susan's guitar work, but Bramhall is an excellent replacement. The album was recorded in just 10 days, soon after the birth of Susan's second child (by husband Derek Trucks, who plays on 3 of the tracks), so Susan can be forgiven for taking things a little easy.
The album starts off well enough with the somewhat obscure Rolling Stones cover "You Got the Silver." Tedeschi has a much nicer voice than Keith Richards and gives an admirable performance that is greatly enhanced by Bramhall's slide playing. This track sets the bar pretty high for the rest of Hope and Desire, but unfortunately it can't quite deliver on its initial promise.
Tracks such as the Ray Charles' "Tired of My Tears" and George Jackson's "Evidence" mine an R&B; vibe that Tedeschi can evoke competently, if somewhat unimpressively. I can't fault her for attempting to branchout stylistically, but these choices just don't make a whole lot of sense. Of course, that's sort of par for the course for cover albums.
Tedeschi can certainly hold her own with the emotionally charged ballads though. Her cover of "Sweet Forgiveness," or the equally good “Follow” are perfect examples of a singer who feels completely comfortable in a song. She provides the just the right amount of emotion and power to make these tracks special. The choice of Dylan's "Lord Protect My Child" seems somewhat obvious with the recent birth of her daughter, but once again she does a wonderful job. Tedeschi covered Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" on her last album and gives this track a similarly emotional rendition. You can tell she really feels what she's singing, even if she didn't write it.
What Hope and Desire really screams for is an upbeat blues stomp to help this album rise up above the standard adult contemporary feeling. Maybe that was the intent behind the inclusion of the upbeat gospel track "Magnificent Sanctuary Band" by Donny Hathaway. The Blind Boys of Alabama provide back up on the track, and are certainly impressive, but as a whole the songs inclusion doesn't change the tone of the album much.
The slow blues burn of "The Danger Zone" by Percy Mayfield is more the direction the album should have taken. It doesn't require a real strong vocal performance from Susan, but she's able to provide just the right kind of smoky delivery to give the song that late night barroom feel. It's got that dirty, somewhat under-produced feel that the rest of the album seems to be lacking.
There's nothing particularly wrong with Hope and Desire, it just doesn't have the impact of Tedeschi's earlier work. Everything just feels a little too nice and clean for my liking. Susan's voice is impressive and is certainly on display from start to finish, but outside of that and the occasional impressive comp from Doyle Bramhall II, there isn't a whole lot that demands you purchase this album.
Fortunately, Susan has already stated that this album was recorded under somewhat special circumstances. Fans can expect a new album with the full participation of the Susan Tedeschi Band sometime in the near future. Hope and Desire is satisfying, but it's not quite the meal we fans have come to expect.
© Copyright ToxicUniverse.com 10/15/2005
