At long last, the prayers of many have been answered. Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, who've been married now for 10 years, have finally put their individual bands on indefinite hiatus and pooled their considerable resources to form the Tedeschi Trucks Band.

Unlike their earlier project, The Soul Stew Revival, this band focuses on original material showcased on their debut album, “Revelator,” in stores now. Enlisting Oteil Burbridge on bass, his brother Kofi on keyboards and flute, Tyler Greenwell and J.J. Johnson on drums, and guest artists Oliver Wood, Eric Krasno, Mike Mattison, Ryan Shaw, Mark Rivers, David Ryan Harris, Maurice Brown, Saunders Sermons and Kebbi Williams all contributing their talents, “Revelator” is without a doubt one of the best albums I've heard so far this year.

Tedeschi's voice is at her best, with a deeply soulful expression and delivery that recalls Ella Fitzgerald or Bonnie Raitt. Trucks' guitar stylings are without equal. His tone and touch remind one of Jeff Beck, Duane Allman and Eric Clapton all rolled into one amazing package, and is as intensely expressive as Tedeschi's soul-drenched vocals. The Burbridge brothers deliver equally moving performances, Oteil's bass wrapping itself around each song and holding it together, while Kofi's flute and his innate ability to tickle the ivories with such unerring tastiness bring something special to the mix. Add to that the spot-on dual drumming of former Codetalker Tyler Greenwell and Allman Brother J.J. Johnson, and you've got one helluva band.
Give this band the stellar material incl
uded in this collection, all of which are collaborative songwriting efforts, and there is no doubt that “Revelator,” for all music lovers everywhere, is a revelation of divine proportions.