they released their first studio album since 2022’s ‘i am the moon’ just last friday, and i have already gotten through it at least 4 times (shocking, i know). in many ways i can hear colors and rhythms from that release – a major 4 part opus that was essentially a tribute and artistic extension of derek and the dominoes ‘layla’ masterpiece.

the songs on this one are more concise with tighter arrangements – all clock in at under five minutes i think. songwriting credits are shared by many in the band and there is a pretty diverse mix of musical styles/genres. susan is on top of her game vocally, and derek’s guitar solos are sometimes incendiary but compact and powerful.

if you are already a fan of the band, this is an obvious purchase. my guess is that at least half of these songs will be on their set lists this summer. i have heard good reviews so far, and i will be seeing them in new orleans in about a month. as i have said a million times, this is one of the best bands in the land, and catch them while you can.

bonus feature:

i am pretty sure i did not reference this anywhere last year, but they had a solid release in the summer – ‘mad dogs and englishmen revisited: live at lockn’.

originally recorded in 2015, the band set out to recreate the original classic joe cocker live album that was a compilation of songs of the legendary tour of the same name. in addition to their whole band, they invited many of the surviving members of the original band from that tour (joe cocker had passed just the year before), plus a few special guests. this is also well worth your investment. the arrangement of the boxtops’ ‘the letter’ is one of my favorite of all time. it is probably a good thing we don’t have a camera in our kitchen as i was making soup one day with that on at a high decibel level, and i might have been doing a joe cocker/john belushi imitation.

enjoy.