It could be said that Johnny and June Carter Cash, George Jones and Tammy Wynette set the musical template for couples making music, even if Tammy and George’s marriage eventually came apart like a dropped jigsaw.
For Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, the idea of collaboration came after she’d sung Back Where I Started on The Derek Trucks Band’s album, Already Free.
Things can get tough for a couple in the boiler room conditions of the studio and the bus, which, we imagine, is why they recruited nine other players to bolster their band; it’s tough to argue in front of a roomful of relative strangers. For such a large bunch they make a relatively understated sound – think Little Feat at their most languid.
Beautiful and florid in songs like the standout These Walls and the rich Love Has Something Else To Say, it’s both considered and experimental. Let’s hope they stay together – and not just for the kids.
