Susan Tedeschi asks the hard-hitting questions in a live cut of “Looking For Answers”, set to appear on her reissue of Just Won’t Burn. Out September 22nd via Fantasy Records, the expanded re-release celebrates the 25th anniversary of the singer-songwriter-guitarist’s solo debut.
The live recording comes from October 6th, 2022, when Tedeschi Trucks Band (which Susan fronts with her partner in life and music, Derek Trucks) was in the midst of a marathon seven-show residency at New York’s Beacon Theatre. Though she was a quarter century removed from when she first wrote the song, Tedeschi’s age has only furthered her determination in her quest for meaning and answers. “How many times must I sit here and tell you goodbye / How many times must I sit all alone and cry / How many times must I ask mercy on me / How many times must I beg to be free,” she asks.
“I remember writing ‘Looking For Answers’ while visiting my parents in late ’94,” Tedeschi said. “I was delving into other types of tuning and it’s one of the first songs I wrote in open D. One of the verses is about learning to pray, an intimate homage to my Catholic upbringing and the pursuit to figure out the requisite prayers—looking for answers that nobody knows.”
Related: Tedeschi Trucks Band Paints Musical Masterpiece During Red Rocks Run [Review/Photos/Videos]
Just Won’t Burn announced to the world the presence of an artist who would become one of the fresh faces of contemporary blues. In celebration of her landmark debut, Fantasy Records will reissue an expanded 16-track edition of the album. Along with the original 11 songs, the 25th-anniversary edition includes five bonus tracks, including an alternate take of “Looking For Answers”, a pair of outtakes, and two live recordings made during TTB’s Beacon residency.
“Sometimes when I look back on the 25 years since the release, I think about the places I’ve been and the adventures I’ve had, and I feel like Forrest Gump,” Tedeschi reflected. “I say, ‘No! You’re a baseball mom. You didn’t do all that!’ But I must have. The blues has its demands. You have to be honest—musically, emotionally, and personally—above everything else, and that can lead to some uncomfortable truths. But the blues hasn’t burned me. It hasn’t hurt me. It’s my main resource. I can express myself and get stuff out about my life–or, like B.B. always said, ‘whatever ails you.’ The blues got me here.”
Listen to Tedeschi Trucks Band perform Susan’s “Looking For Answers” from the 25th-anniversary reissue of Just Won’t Burn, available here for pre-order. Revisit Live For Live Music‘s coverage of the residency: Night 1 | Night 2 | Night 3 | Night 4 | Night 6 | Night 7.
Tedeschi Trucks Band – “Looking For Answers” (Susan Tedeschi) – 10/6/22
The post Susan Tedeschi Shares Live TTB Take On “Looking For Answers” From ‘Just Won’t Burn’ Reissue [Listen] appeared first on L4LM.
