Many have called guitarist/vocalist Warren Haynes the hardest working man in rock, and you know what, they just might be right. Regularly manning one of the guitar slots in The Allman Brothers Band, guesting on countless studio sessions and live dates with a never ending list of bands & artists, as well as starting a solo career a few years back, Haynes definitely keeps himself busy. Oh yeah, and then there's that little band he has called Gov't Mule, which started out as a power trio back in the '90s and has now grown to include original drummer Matt Abts, bassist Jorgen Carlsson, and keyboard player/guitarist Danny Louis. Haynes put the Mule on hiatus for a few years, but here they are back again with their latest platter of groove laden blues rock, titled Shout!.
If you've been on the Mule train in the past, Shout! will be a welcome listen. Plenty of meaty, bluesy rockers here littered with Haynes' tasty guitar licks and powerful vocals, like "Word Boss", "No Reward", and "Stoop So Low", but Warren's taste for R&B/pop/psych flavored material also shows up in the form of "Whisper In Your Soul", "Captured", and "Forsaken Savior". Louis contributes some haunting electric piano and organ to many of these tracks, and while some folks might miss the brawny power trio style of the early Mule albums, there's a sense of depth and color to the more recent releases from the band due to the addition of keyboards that works quite well. While Shout! doesn't quite qualify as a 'guitar hero' album, there are of course some excellent guitar riffs and solos from Haynes throughout, though perhaps a tad more restrained than in the past. Listen to his emotional jazz-fusion lines on the tender "When the World Gets Small" (hint of Carlos Santana on this one), the bluesy vamps on the upbeat "Funny Little Tragedy", or the waves of psychedelic, gut wrenching blues on the epic "Bring On the Music". He's a master, wearing many hats, and all of them magical.
The CD also comes with a bonus disc with many of the tracks featuring guest vocals from a who's who of known singers. I wasn't sure how good this might be, but there are actually some winners among them. Ben Harper fits right in on the raucous "World Boss", Glenn Hughes put in an effectively restrained performance on "No Reward", and the always smooth Steve Winwood does wonders to "When the World Gets Small". Grace Potter also shines on the catchy "Whisper in Your Soul", as does Elvis Costello on the rocker "Funny Little Tragedy". Look for Dr. John, Dave Matthews, Myles Kennedy, Ty Taylor, Jim James, and Toots Hibbert and the bonus CD as well.
Overall, Shout! might not rank up there with the best of the Gov't Mule discography, but it's extremely solid and enjoyable, and that's all that this band really need to be at this stage of the game. Well done.
1) World Boss
2) No Reward
3) Whisper in Your Soul
4) Captured
5) Scared To Live
6) Stoop So Low
7) Forsaken Savior
8) Done Got Wise
9) When the World Gets Small
10) Funny Little Tragedy
11) Bring on the Music
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
