『いとしのレイラ』を越え、TTBの新たなストーリーが始まる―
パンデミックの中、バンド全員が同じストーリーを読み、つながり、創り上げた壮大なプロジェクト

昨年リリースの『レイラ・リヴィジテッド』が好評を博した、新世代3大ロック・ギタリストのひとりであるデレク・トラックスと、5度のグラミー賞ノミネート歴のあるシンガー&ギタリストのスーザン・テデスキが率いる大所帯ブルース・ロック・バンド、テデスキ・トラックス・バンドの全4章に及ぶ新プロジェクトの第2章。

ツアーができずパンデミックに伴う孤立の中、メンバーが互いにつながりを保つ方法として、「いとしのレイラ」の出典元、ペルシャの12世紀の詩人、ニザーミーによる詩「ライラとマジュヌーン」を深く掘り下げようとヴォーカルのマイク・マティソンが提案。全員が同じ詩を読み、原作に描かれているさまざまなテーマからインスパイアされ曲作りに取り組み、セッションを重ねた中、彼らのキャリアで最も野心的なプロジェクトへと変化したという超大作。

スタジオ作品としては2019年発表の『サインズ』以来3年ぶり5作目。バンド全員で一つの普遍的なテーマに取り組み、共同作業で創り上げた本作は、ロック、ブルース、ニューオリンズ・ソウル、サイケデリア、ルーツ・ミュージックからフリー・ジャズまでTTBが誘う広大で刺激的、そして野心的な音楽の旅。ギターはもちろんのこと"世界最高のライヴ・バンド"TTBにしか成しえないサウンドが満載!
ほぼ4ヶ月間にわたって連続発売される本プロジェクトは「I. クレッセント」、「II. アセンション」、「III. ザ・フォール」 「IV. フェアウェル」の全4章から成る。

発売・販売元 提供資料 （2022/04/21）

Ascension is the second album of four in the Tedeschi Trucks Bands I Am the Moon project of monthly releases over the summer of 2022. Each albums release is preceded by a different film premiere from documentary director and creative arts polymath Alix Lambert. The concept behind I Am the Moon is the 12th century poem Layla and Majnun by Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi. It also provided title inspiration for Derek and the Dominos 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. TTB issued their own interpretive version of that classic in 2021. I Am the Moon was written collaboratively; each member of this 12-piece collective read the work and contributed to its interpretation. Ascension deliberately picks up where Crescent left off. Whereas the former explored attraction, infatuation, insecurity, and fear, Ascension outlines and underscores love and pain as inseparable. More R&B-centric than its predecessor, it kicks off with the funky soul of "Playing with My Emotions." Susan Tedeschi -- who is one of the great R&B singers of this era -- sings both gender roles with authority and empathy. The horns and backing chorus buoy her, adding emphasis and emotional depth to each line, as Derek Trucks delivers stinging, bluesy fills. Organist Gabe Dixon handles the lead vocal on "Aint That Something," a slippery, NOLA-inspired R&B groover about being abandoned. The intricate horn charts intersect with his Hammond B-3 along with Trucks slide and Tedeschis elevated vocal leading the chorus. "All the Love" is a nine-minute, jazz-tinged ballad about humanitys careless regard for love. Trucks modal leads intersect with muted horns before they gel, swell, and drift under Tedeschis vocal. "So Long Savior" is a short, choogling Delta-inspired gospel-blues that moves from acoustic to electric. Tedeschi and chorus soar above guitars and drums in equating spirituality and desire. "Rainy Day" begins with Trucks in raga mode before Dixons B-3 and the Muscle Shoals-inspired horn section expand the frame toward progressive R&B. They outline Tedeschis probing, emotionally resonant lyric that offers commitment and steadfast faith; she proves loves patience in the face of fear and doubt. Its followed by the rootsy, soul-drenched Americana waltz "La Di Da," and the record closes with "Hold That Line." On the latter, Trucks enters with relaxed blues as Tedeschi and drums slide in unobtrusively. She sings with quiet conviction about loves holistic, interdependent nature; it holds us tight in its grasp alongside those weve loved and lost, and those whove loved and lost us. Flutes and horns join Trucks in dialogue, framing the deeply poetic lyrics. Ascension is more laid-back than its predecessor. It more prominently features Tedeschi and Trucks as focal points, in contrast to the bands more prevalent presence on Crescent. That said, TTB expertly and profoundly frame this more intimate dialogue. Collectively, they extend the source poems inspiration as well as its allegorical narrative; they project in real time the poignant spiritual and emotional truths it addresses. ~ Thom Jurek

Rovi