In many ways, 2006’s Songlines was a landmark album for the Derek Trucks Band. It was vocalist Mike Mattison’s first studio effort with the band, and it was the group’s first studio outing to feature a consistent vocal presence. Though straightforwardly produced, it aptly captured the spirit of the DTB—an eclectic outfit that mixes jazz, soul, and world music into an enchanting mélange of earthy, down home blues. After touring nonstop, the band retreated to Trucks’ newly constructed home studio in Jacksonville, Florida to record Already Free, an album Trucks produced himself.

Like other albums in the DTB’s catalog, Already Free is an intricate, well-conceived affair, but what sets it apart from its predecessors is Trucks’ impeccable production. His ability to explore, seek out, and direct his vision speaks volumes about his growth as a bandleader. On first listen, Already Free is richer, fuller and more welcoming and intimate than any of the DTB’s previous endeavors. The opener, Bob Dylan’s “Down in the Flood,” winds from a gentle acoustic breeze into a sticky, stinging rocker. On tracks such as the gospel-sparked “Sweet Inspiration,” the soul riser “Down Don’t Bother Me,” and the gushing R&B ballad “Days is Almost Gone,” Mattison croons with the heartfelt elegance of Otis Redding and the hard-boiled intensity of Joe Cocker. Of course, Trucks’ guitar sizzles throughout, and his mates are right in step stirring up the grooves. “Don’t Miss Me” is the type of mosquito-bitten blues that could only be cooked up in the swamps of Florida, while “Get What You Deserve” is a sweaty, barroom shuffle that captures the fire of vintage era Allman Brothers. The title track, which also closes the album, leaves you reminiscing about the crackle of a campfire under a starlit sky.