This is the 25th Anniversary re-issue of Susan Tedeschi's pivotal solo album Just Won't Burn that helped turn her, from an east Coast blues player to an international Blues Woman, even before the band she formed with her Husband Derek Trucks took off. This Anniversary edition comes with 5 bonus tracks that include a couple of Live tunes from the Tedeschi Trucks band. The album was recorded by Sean Carberry at Rear Window Studios in Brookline just outside of Boston and produced by Susan Tedeschi and Tom Hambridge the band includes Adrienne Hayes, Sean Costello and Annie Raines. The album went Platinum in the USA. I had only heard maybe two of the songs before being asked to review this re-issue to find out what I've been missing out on.
The Album opens with a great throaty throw down intro to Rock Me Right as the driving blues rock cooks along as Susan lays down the rules to Rock Her Right, you’d better pay attention as those guitars fly along at a cracking pace, with lots of subtly bent notes, as the band sound like they are dreaming of being the modern MG's.
You Need To Be With Me is a slow seductive blues drawing you into Susan's world, will you be able to escape her clutches, or even want to escape, as the organ underpins this almost as much as the crisp drumming does, before the guitar solo seals the deal as we all go rushing to be with Susan.
Little By Little has a classic strolling Chicago Blues sound, with all the expected musical punctuations, the breaks with cool as can be backing vocals and harmonica, you could easily be wandering along Maxwell Street as Susan wonders how much longer it will be until you go to the other woman permanently, she's got those wronged woman blues again as she wails like a young Etta James.
It Hurt So Bad is an 50's style rhythm & Blues heartbreaker, played totally straight with tons of pain in the vocals as she belts it out trying to out rasp Janice.
Found Someone New is the truth for many a wandering bluesman or woman out on that lonesome road once more, finding someone new in each town or state, Susan may be begging to be allowed to carry on the relationship to help keep her blues at bay, squiggling low guitar tears her heart apart.
Looking For Answers is a slow meditative blues, with just a snare drum and cymbal alongside the acoustic guitar as the soul searching carries on, searching for angels to conquer her demons as that fiddle takes her pains away.
Can't Leave You Alone is another one of those on again off again fighting relationships, when it's good it's really good and then the guitars come in and it all goes to hell again blues standards.
Just Won't Burn is it's after midnight smoky club sipping a whisky while wanting to be home, in your arms once more, slow burning blues that never seem to catch a fire.
Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean is the downtrodden woman wailing like Big Mama Thornton about how bad he treats you, as she wails on him like how he's wailed on you on this Ruth Brown classic R & B stomper.
Angel From Montgomery takes the John Prine standard nice and slowly, as this sepulchral rumination on those days of youthful innocence, being lost and life taking over, this is very delicately played wringing all the emotion out of it.
Friars Point takes down to those crossroads once more, tipping its hat to Robert Johnston and all the real cats out in the juke joints, oh she's got it bad, as the band cook along that old delta highway, so she can hang out on Beale Street with Blues Boy, as the blues tour carries driving on towards the end of the album.
The first of the bonus songs Is Looking For Answers the alternate take, its more electric still lean while packing a different sort of punch for the fight to find those answers.
Voodoo Woman isn't as sassy as hearing Koko Taylor singing it at the Chicago Blues festival back in the early 90's, but the squalling solo makes up musically for any lack of sass from Susan, this is a great fun version.
Waste Of My Time maybe an outtake that sounds like a demo as a semi acoustic break up heartbroken blues tearjerker.
The two Live songs by the Tedeschi Trucks band were recorded live at the Beacon Theatre, 6.10.22. Looking For Answers feels more of a gospel bayou blues with a dreamy edge.
Just Won't Burn is taken good and slow with the persistent organ ever so slowly getting more powerful as she pours out her heart once more, now Derek get on over there and do your duty, Susan should have no reason to feel this lonesome anymore.
Find out more at https://fantasyrecordings.com/releases/just-wont-burn-25th-anniversary-edition/ where you can get it on turquoise cassette! https://www.facebook.com/susantedeschi https://susantedeschi.komi.io/
