I am already a fan ... but this is my favorite DTB album yet! This band is incredible to see live. They are incredibly diverse musically, playing everything from Delta blues, R&B, gospel, jazz fusion, Latin, soul, Pakistani qawwali ... have I forgotten anything? ... and continually reinvent the songs in they already play. The band is tight musically, and play off each other well in the I am already a fan ... but this is my favorite DTB album yet! This band is incredible to see live. They are incredibly diverse musically, playing everything from Delta blues, R&B, gospel, jazz fusion, Latin, soul, Pakistani qawwali ... have I forgotten anything? ... and continually reinvent the songs in they already play. The band is tight musically, and play off each other well in the extended jams and improvisations they are known for. The CD's they have released have been just as diverse. (Until now, Joyful Noise and Live at the Georgia Theatre have been my favorites.) In my opinion, Already Free is tighter, more polished, and more refined, than anything the band has done to date. (Significantly, this is the first album they have recorded in the new home studio at their leisure.) It has a throwback feel, down to the sound of an LP on a turntable leading into the title track. I read one review that described Already Free as a tribute to American music and its roots, and I'm inclined to think he's right. Right from the start, I loved the Bob Dylan remake "Down in the Flood", the gospel grooves of "Sweet Inspiration", the tamboura leading into the upbeat jam "I Know", and "Down Don't Bother Me" (a bluesy favorite of mine from live DTB shows). The more I listen to this CD, however, the more I love the whole thing. It is a rich, textured, subtle album, and a great platform for Derek's incredible guitarwork. Derek's slide guitar has a signature, clear, piercing sound that I originally thought was muted in this album. After listening to the CD a little, however, I realized that I was totally wrong. At times, Derek does sound more polished than usual, but always as a prelude to another awe-inspiring solo. Qawwali music is famous for starting simply and building to a high energy "in order to induce hypnotic states" (Wikipedia) among the musicians and the audience. That is one of the trademarks of DTB live shows that did translate to this album. Down Don't Bother Me is a perfect example (as is Down in the Flood). Down Don't Bother Me starts out much more polished than the versions I know (e.g., listen to the 2005 Gothic Theatre show in Englewood CO), but it ends with the sort of blistering slide guitar solo that made me fall in love with DTB in the first place. I could go on about how great the bass lines are in Sweet Inspiration, Mike Mattison's soulful voice, the usual outstanding professional sound of the band, or the welcome collaborations with Doyle Bramhall and Susan Tedeschi (Derek's wife). In the end, I'll just repeat that this is my favorite DTB album. You can't go wrong with this one. Buy it!… Expand