CDs & DOWNLOADS
Shout! A single CD holds about 80 minutes of music. Shout! uses up every bit of that space. It’s the Mule’s “more bang for your buck” rep- utation at work. Not only is it the most rock and roll that will fit, it’s also some of their finest ever. And if that wasn’t enough, they toss in a second disc. On disc two, the band is joined by various
Gov’t Mule Shout!
(Blue Note) My, oh my. Not to be one to kick a dead
horse, but dang, these guys rock. I can’t help but think how proud brother Allen Woody would be of this album. “World Boss,” the rocker that sets the stage for this bombastic aural assault, is so very reminiscent of the original six-legged Mule, it just brought a shit-eating grin to my face right off the bat. Of course, from there it only goes - up! Warren Haynes throws down on some
more of that Mule blues we all know and love with “No Reward,” and the beginning of “Whisper in Your Soul” actually has a real late-career Beatles vibe. Haynes has never sounded better vocally than on songs like the moody blues rock of “Captured” and “For- saken Savior.” The album ends with an eleven-minute
“Bring On The Music.” It’s a soulful slow jam that puts Haynes front and center with that magic guitar of his. So good. One of the things I always loved about the Mule is they really give you your money’s worth. Like with
artists, each one interpreting one of the new songs from disc one. Say you’ve never seen that done? Me neither! Elvis Costello with The Mule? You bet. “Funny Little Tragedy” is a fun version. It rocks. Of course the original Mule version is one of the best rockers on the album. Thanks to Billboard online, I was able to stream that one, although I have yet to hear the others on disc
two.It wasn’t finished cooking t press time. The Mule rocks out with Dr. John, Ben Harper, Toots Hibbert, Glenn Hughes, Jim James, Myles Kennedy, Dave Matthews, Grace Potter, Vintage Trouble's Ty Taylor and Steve Winwood all guest on the second disc of Shout! Now, I realize I am putting the cart ahead
of the Mule, but since we go to press bi- monthly, and the album is set for release Sep- tember 24, it really didn’t fall into the right time frame for next issue. And since the kind folks at Blue Note have allowed us to hear the first disc, I had to share my thoughts. Can you blame an old Mule Head? Besides, now you can mark your calendar and be ready to be ass-similated, as Kirk West used to say when introducing the band. I am afraid I became a part of the collective a long, long time ago.
-Michael Buffalo Smith
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