Susan Tedeschi

Back to the River

Susan Tedeschi - Back to the River

10/28/2008 | Verve Forecast 

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All Music Guide Review

With a vibrant, versatile voice (sounding at times like an inspired mix of Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt) capable of adding subtle emotional shifts to slow-burning ballads or rocking out with the big boys, Susan Tedeschi burst on the scene at the close of the 1990s like a breath of fresh air in an era of prefab MTV teen idols. Like Raitt, Tedeschi works from a blues base, but she mixes in a strong sense of R&B and gospel, and with Back to the River, her second release for Verve Forecast, she shows that she's really starting to find herself as a songwriter, as well. Tedeschi wrote or co-wrote all but one of the 11 tracks here, and while one could still say these songs are based in her beloved blues, like Raitt, she has branched out from there to become a solid pop artist with a real and accessible vision, and the blues is just the engine under the hood. There are some wonderful moments here, including the big and funky title track, "Back to the River," which Tedeschi co-wrote with swamp pop master Tony Joe White, the sincere and solid "Learning the Hard Way," co-written with Gary Louris of the Jayhawks, and the impressive "Butterfly," which Tedeschi' co-wrote with her husband, Derek Trucks. The lone cover, a marvelous, horn-driven version of Allen Toussaint's "There's a Break in the Road" (originally recorded in 1969 by Betty Harris), fits seamlessly in with the newer material. Then there is Tedeschi's voice, which is a wonderful instrument, strong and hushed by turns, and she carries the full weight of the world's possibilities when she sings, ranging from wounded to determined, delicate to brash, always getting to the emotional center of the song. Tedeschi has already put out some great albums but as she continues to grow as a songwriter, her best work may still be in the future. Meanwhile, Back to the River will serve fans just fine. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide

Back to the River Track Listing

  • Track#
  • Title
  • time
  • lyrics
  • 1
  • Talking About
  • 4:23
  • Sound Clip for Talking About from Back to the River


  • 2
  • 700 Houses
  • 4:38
  • Sound Clip for 700 Houses from Back to the River


  • 3
  • Back to the River
  • 3:56
  • Sound Clip for Back to the River from Back to the River


  • 4
  • Love Will
  • 3:48
  • Sound Clip for Love Will from Back to the River


  • 5
  • Butterfly
  • 4:08
  • Sound Clip for Butterfly from Back to the River


  • 6
  • People
  • 3:26
  • Sound Clip for People from Back to the River


  • 7
  • Learning the Hard Way
  • 4:39
  • Sound Clip for Learning the Hard Way from Back to the River


  • 8
  • Revolutionize Your Soul
  • 4:46
  • Sound Clip for Revolutionize Your Soul from Back to the River


  • 9
  • True
  • 3:21
  • Sound Clip for True from Back to the River


  • 10
  • There's a Break in the Road
  • 3:27
  • Sound Clip for There's a Break in the Road from Back to the River


  • 11
  • Can't Sleep at Night
  • 3:52
  • Sound Clip for Can't Sleep at Night from Back to the River


    • Back to the River Notes

    "I think it's a pivotal record for me - I like this one a lot,” Susan Tedeschi says of her new Verve Forecast release Back to the River. “I think it's really emotional, but it's not really a blues record. The blues is still in there, but there's a lot of other stuff too. I definitely put a lot into this one and worked really hard to put a lot of ideas across."

    Indeed, Back to the River—produced by George Drakoulias, whose resume includes work with the Black Crowes, the Jayhawks and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers—is a mature, soulful work that demonstrates how much singer/guitarist/songwriter Tedeschi has grown in the decade since she burst onto the scene.

    Back to the River's 11 songs encompass a broad musical and emotional palette, and showcase Tedeschi’s multiple talents as a deeply expressive singer, a soulful and melodic guitarist and a distinctive, evolving songwriter. The album is partially the product of Tedeschi's work with a stellar assortment of songwriting collaborators. She journeyed to Nashville to work with legendary swamp-rock godfather Tony Joe White, with whom she co-wrote the album's raucous title track (whose homesick lyrics refer to her home on the St John's River in her adopted hometown of Jacksonville, Florida). She went to Minneapolis to write “Learning the Hard Way" with the insightful Jayhawks leader Gary Louris.

    "These songs," she says, "are about real life issues that have been on my mind. I don't think it's my job to impose my opinion on people, but I do feel it's my responsibility to write songs that reflect the times and how I feel about them. Becoming a parent makes you start to think on a different scale, and it made me realize that you can write more than love songs. Even if a song can't change the world, you can still capture a little tiny bit of truth and deliver it to people."

    Credits of Back to the River

    • Derek Trucks
    • Guitar (Electric), Producer, Mixing, Guest Appearance, Slide Guitar
    • Doyle Bramhall II
    • Guitar (Electric), Vocals (Background), Slide Guitar, Guest Appearance
    • Matt Slocum
    • Organ, Wurlitzer, Piano (Grand), Fender Rhodes, Mellotron
    • Gary Louris
    • Guitar (Electric), Vocals (Background), Guest Appearance


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