Gov't Mule's
Shout!, their first album of new studio material in four years, marks the band's debut for Blue Note.
Warren Haynes composed five of these 11 tracks; his bandmates collaborated with him on the rest. Permanent bassist
Jorgen Carlsson and keyboardist
Danny Louis fit seamlessly with
Haynes and drummer
Matt Abts, adding new grooves and sonic textures. The production ante has been upped considerably, without sacrificing
GM's forceful attack.
Haynes produced much of the record; his bandmates and
Gordie Johnson assisted elsewhere.
Shout! goes deep and wide. "No Reward" is funky blues-rock with a nasty clavinet and B-3 under greasy guitar riffs and a monstrous bassline. "Whisper in Your Soul" commences slow and moody, with syrupy, elastic keyboard lines, psychedelic guitars, and martial tom-toms that erupt into a joyous, gritty R&B refrain, then reverse again. The nine-minute "Captured" will likely please old-school
GM fans most with
Haynes' extended soloing; its vamp borrows heavily from
Neil Young's "Down by the River."
Carlsson's whomping bassline introduces the deep, nasty groove on "Stoop So Low." With a souled-out female gospel chorus behind
Haynes, it's an album highlight. The slippery slide guitar and clavinet blues-funk in "Done Got Wise" reveal a new R&B dimension in
GM's music. "Funny Little Tragedy" emulates -- and updates -- Elvis Costello & the Attractions' sound circa
This Year's Model. The 11-minute closer, "Bring on the Music," is a subtle yet sprawling blues that builds gradually, and offers some of
Haynes' most melodic playing. The bonus disc features the same tracks in different order, with the band fronted by a host of all-star guests including
Dr. John,
Toots Hibbert,
Jim James,
Grace Potter,
Dave Matthews,
Ty Taylor,
Steve Winwood,
Myles Kennedy,
Ben Harper, and
Costello. ~ Thom Jurek