T is for Susan Tedeschi

Contemporary blues is one of my favorite genres and this woman is a big reason why.

The combination of hot guitar licks, smoking vocals and no-nonsense performance all comes together wonderfully in the package that is Susan Tedeschi. She's from Boston and has a voice that's been described as a cross between Bonnie Raitt and Janis Joplin. That she's married to Derek Trucks, a former child prodigy who's the son of the Allman Brothers Band drummer Butch Trucks, only makes her appeal all the sweeter.

They're performing in Portland next Wednesday at the Crystal Ballroom and I plan to see them. It'll be the second time for me. Saw her at the Aladdin Theater a couple years ago and she was awesome.

While she can rock it with the best of them (check out "Gonna Move" and "Rock Me Right"),  I also like that she can slow it down with covers of Bob Dylan ("Don't Think Twice, It's Alright") and John Prine ("Angel From Montgomery") and her own "Soul of a Man."

Plus, I like that she's got a social conscience. On her latest CD, "Back To The River," she has a song about New Orleans and Katina called "700 Houses." Check out the lyrics here and the live perforrmance here.

But first, strap on your seat belt and give a listen to "Little By Little."