Derek Caebrera

This double-live album by the Derek Trucks Band may end up being the last for this version of the group – at least for a while. Trucks and wife Susan Tedeschi joined forces in 2010 as the Derek Trucks-Susan Tedeschi Band. Some of the players come from Trucks' organization: Kofi Burbridge and singer Mike Mattison with bassist Oteil Burbridge, and drummer J.J. Johnson, among others. Which brings us to Roadsongs. Recorded in support of 2009's Grammy-winning Already Free, this set contains over 100 minutes of music from across his recording career.

Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs is the only studio album by Anglo-American blues rock band Derek and the Dominos. Released in November 1970, the double album is best known for its title track, "Layla", and is often regarded as Eric Clapton's greatest musical achievement. 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition contains the original album and a bonus disc containing out-takes, both sides of a rare non-LP single produced by Phil Spector and the band’s complete performance on The Johnny Cash Show from November 1970 (featuring guest appearances from Cash and Carl Perkins on Perkins’ own “Matchbox”). The rest of the disc is devoted to sessions from the group’s aborted second LP, newly remixed for this edition.

For his first solo project after replacing Dickie Betts in the Allman Brothers Band, 23-year-old Derek Trucks pushes the stylistic envelope even further than on his last diverse release. Prodding into Latin, Indian, and fusion jazz, this stylistically varied effort exudes enough blues and funky R&B to keep the Allman Brothers Band fan's attention while expanding their boundaries – sometimes radically – beyond what the typical Southern rock fan might expect or even tolerate. It's a brave and largely successful experiment, due in part to the vocals of his guest stars, since Trucks himself does not sing. Opening with the title track, a funky Meters-style bubbler that employs a gospel chorus to frame Trucks' searing slide work, it sounds like the guitarist is working within borders he established on his two previous albums.

They made one of the most essential classic rock albums of all time and - lucky us - they also laid down some live stuff. Here's how it holds up to their studio genius…

This is, perhaps, the one. Derek Trucks has been on an aesthetic quest for something since he began his own recording career in 1997 – apart from his membership in the Allman Brothers Band. Each record has gone further into establishing Trucks not only as a slide guitar wizard (that happened when he was still in his teens), but also as a serious songwriter, fine arranger, and bandleader. The Derek Trucks Band, as evidenced by the release of 2003's Soul Serenade, is a unit – a band – whose core has been together for eight years. They create an atmosphere, a sound, a musical sense of place and community.

Session and backup band keyboardist Derek Sherinian seems to understand that, when it comes to jazz-rock fusion music, the electric guitar is king, at least from the evidence of his solo album Oceana. Sherinian, who has backed such stars as Buddy Miles, Alice Cooper, and Kiss and been a member of groups including Dream Theater and, most recently, Black Country Communion, usually contents himself with co-writing the instrumental tunes on the album with drummer Simon Phillips, then joining Phillips and bassist Jimmy Johnson in providing musical support to one of a number of guest star guitarists…

Back with his fourth solo album in as many years, erstwhile Dream Theater keyboard player Derek Sherinian is once again pushing the prog metal/hard rock agenda with his ever intense, always impressive chops…

Layla stands as one of a handful of pillars of classic rock. The short-lived ensemble that was the Dominos provided an outlet for Eric Clapton to vent his then unrequited (and secret) passion for the wife of his best friend, George Harrison. Romantic anguish inspired Clapton to write and collect an embroiling and interconnected song cycle. Meanwhile, latecomer Duane Allman prodded Clapton to tear it up on guitar, so as not to be overwhelmed by his even more talented foil. Of course, Clapton eventually won the hand of his lady love. And then he divorced her. Sometimes real life messes up a good plot line. ~ Steve Stolder