Susan Tedeschi is a talented triple threat — a stunningly soulful singer with a rich, husky voice, a skilled guitar player, and a strong songwriter. Her singing and guitar styles are both rooted in the blues, but it’s too limiting to call her just a blues artist because she smoothly incorporates so many other styles into her work, most notably R&B, soul, and gospel. This release is notable in that it’s the first one in which she wrote or co-wrote nearly all the material, and the lyrics are particularly thoughtful, touching on family life, tough lessons, and social and political issues. Standouts include the emotional “700 Houses,” about the Hurricane Katrina disaster; the powerful plea of “People;” and “Butterfly,” which she wrote with her husband Derek Trucks, who adds a tough guitar groove to the song. The only cover here is a funky, horn-fueled version of Allen Toussaint’s 1969 classic “There’s a Break In the Road,” and she rips it up with a powerhouse vocal performance. Start to finish, Back to the River may be Tedeschi’s most well-rounded release to date.