Gov't Mule Deja Voodoo CD

Gov't Mule: Andy Hess (bass guitar); Matt Abts, Warren Haynes, Danny Louis.
Personnel: Warren Haynes (vocals, guitar); Danny Louis (keyboards); Matt Abts (drums).
Audio Mixer: Michael Barbiero.
Recording information: Water Music, Hoboken, NJ.
Photographer: Danny Clinch.
Gov't Mule's Déjà Voodoo is the record guitarist Warren Haynes and drummer Matt Abts have been looking to make for a long time. Since the death of Allen Woody in August 2000, after the landmark Life Before Insanity, the Mule has been making records with guest bass players, most of them jam-oriented albums in live settings. With the permanent addition of bassist Andy Hess and keyboardist Danny Louis, Gov't Mule takes a giant step forward while retaining the gritty, powerful blues-rock base that is the hallmark of the band's sound. Moving out form the power trio format is a solid thing. Haynes' songwriting is focused, anchored in the additional textures Louis' B-3 and Rhodes can provide, while losing none of its rootsy, overdriven charm. The tunes here, all 12 of them, are anchored in that gloriously greasy riffing that Haynes does better than anyone, but there is a wonderful funkiness added to the mix. There's the crunch and roll piledrive of "Bad Man Walking," opening the album with the Rhodes punching in the holes on opposite sides of the beat from the bassline. There's the squalling wah-wah blues of "Perfect Shelter," which sounds like it's coming across Stevie Wonder's version of "Superstition" and the ghost of Jimi Hendrix's "Machine Gun." On the shimmering organ glissando in "Little Toy Brain," a power ballad from rock antiquity that breathes fire, Haynes gives his best ever vocal performance on record. And so it goes. The balls-out barroom stomp of "Slackjaw Jezebel" -- with one of the most dirty-assed basslines in recent memory -- is tempered by the lonesome country-rock of the beautiful "Wine and Blood." The sheer raucous guitar wonking roar that is "Lola Leave Your Light On," one of the album's meltdown points, leaves the listener responding "Whoa..." like Keanu Reeves in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Likewise, the switchblade six-string whomp of "My Separate Reality" is a bone-crusher that's full of raw whiskey soul as well. Déjà Voodoo is the album Gov't Mule's promised to make since its inception; this is a new chapter in the life of a truly inspiring rock & roll band. ~ Thom Jurek
DEJA VOODOO serves as a comeback for Gov't Mule, who lost founding member Allen Woody in August 2000. Bandmates Warren Haynes and Matt Abts carried on with a search to fill Woody's shoes, and this led to live recordings featuring guest bassists on each cut. This studio outing welcomes the arrival of former Black Crowes bass player Andy Hess and keyboardist Danny Louis, whose entry transforms the Mule into a quartet, upping the creative potential for all involved.
Being the consummate musician that he is, Haynes guides this potent ensemble down a wide-ranging path. Wielding his ever-present slide, the in-demand guitarist pours plenty of soulful playing into the country-tinged mellowness of "Wine and Blood," switching gears to plug a wah-wah pedal in for the muscular strut "Perfect Shelter." Louis's organ provides a neat foil for Haynes, be it the New Orleans-like funk fills that pepper "Bad Man Walking" or the subtle support provided on the soaring "Little Toy Brain." Hess also gets his licks in, holding the bottom down admirably with Abts, particularly on the rumbling "Mr. Man" and the thumping blues-rock of "Slackjaw Jezebel." DEJA VOODOO proves Gov't Mule still has plenty of kick left.