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HEADLINE: Wheels keep on TURNING By ALAN SCULLEY Sarasota Herald-Tribune In making its latest CD, "Songlines," the Derek Trucks Band not only came up with what many fans will probably see as the group's best album. The group -- and guitarist Derek Trucks himself -- also got a new outlook on the entire process of making an album. "It's definitely a serious growth for the band and for me personally," Trucks said of the "Songlines" project. "It was the best I've felt about any studio experience, and it really changed the way I thought about making records in the future." In a recent phone interview, Trucks said making "Songlines" taught him that the studio should be a playground for experimenting with sonics, overdubbing and recording technology, and there's no reason a studio version of a song can't evolve during the course of being recorded and offer something different than the way the songs will be presented live. "We play so much and we record our shows live (enough) that that side of the band is captured and documented," Trucks said. "When we go in the studio, we don't really have to try to re-create what we do at a show. We try to make albums, make records. The records that I come back to and listen to after years and years of listening to them, whether it's a great early Stevie Wonder record or some of those great (Jimi) Hendrix records, there's just so much going on, just so many layers, that the more you listen to it, you find new things all the time. It's amazing sonically. You can hide a lot of stuff on a record that you just won't hear on the first few listens. It's fascinating." It's been a big year for Trucks. In addition to fronting his own band and playing guitar for The Allman Brothers Band -- his uncle, Butch Trucks, is a founding member -- he embarked on a national tour with Eric Clapton. On Thursday, he performed at the Tampa Theatre in a double-bill with his wife, blues artist Susan Tedeschi. This spirit of discovery felt during the "Songlines" sessions by Trucks and his bandmates -- singer Mike Mattison, bassist Todd Smallie, drummer Yonrico Scott and keyboardist/flautist Kofi Burbridge -- comes after the group had already built a considerable amount of studio experience. Trucks formed his band a decade ago when he was just 16. By that time, he had been playing professionally for five years, proving himself to have exceptional talent as a guitarist. With Smallie, Scott and keyboardist Bill McKay rounding out the early lineup, the Derek Trucks Band began touring, and in fall 1996 recorded its self-titled debut CD. The group has been touring and recording steadily since, releasing three more studio albums -- "Out of the Madness" (1998), "Joyful Noise" (2002), "Soul Serenade" (2003) -- plus a two-CD live concert release, "Live at Georgia Theatre," in 2004. Along the way, the band has had a couple of key personnel changes, with Burbridge replacing McKay in 1999, and Mattison signing on as lead vocalist in 2002 -- a move that transformed the band from a primarily instrumental group to one that now makes songs with vocals the backbone of their repertoire. Mattison makes his studio debut on "Songlines," and he is a major presence on the CD. His earthy vocal style is a natural fit for a band that brings plenty of soul to any musical style it touches. The other band members shine quite nicely throughout "Songlines" as well. Trucks, in particular, shows why he is considered one of the finest young guitarists in any genre. The growth the band has experienced also translates to the live setting, where Trucks said the band has been hitting new peaks during recent stints of touring. "It's the most complete it's ever felt, for sure," Trucks said. "It's exciting times. We've been together for 11 years, somewhere in there"