Published on Mar 9, 2000
Warren Haynes has always had a gift at capturing the groove.
Whether it was during his stint in The Allman Brothers Band or his
short-lived solo career (to the best ofmyknowldge, he only recorded
one solo disc – but what a disc that was!) to the blues-jam trio
Govt. Mule. You don’t have to be a fan of Soutern rock to
appreciate what Haynes does to the music, as evidenced on Govt.
Mule’s latest release,
Life Before Insanity.
The group – vocalist/guitarist Haynes, bassist Allen Woody and
drummer Matt Abts – uses challenging rhythm patterns, killer riffs
and powerful songwriting to capture the listener for the duration
of this album. And while the energy noticably lags several times,
overall it’s a great journey you’ll want to take again and
again.
Musically,
Life Before Insanity runs the gamut, from all-out rockers
that captivate the listener (“Bad Little Doggie”) to works whose
time signatures keep your mind active (“Wandering Child”), Haynes
and crew leave no doubt that they can play most any genre thrown
their way. They even get into bluesy ballads (“Fallen Down,” “Far
Away”), all-out ballads (“In My Life”) and, in the rare “proper”
use of a bonus track, all-out blues (“If I Had Possession Over
Judgment Day”). Throughout these numbers, Govt. Mule is so powerful
that one has to wonder why they haven’t become a bigger force to be
reckoned with.
Regrettably, the ebbs in the album’s power tend to answer these
questions. Tracks like “World Gone Wild,” “No Need To Suffer” and,
to a lesser extent, “Tastes Like Wine” almost lull the listener to
sleep, failing to capture the excitement and freshness that other
tracks exude. Even a track featuring Ben Harper’s vocals and guitar
work, “Lay Your Burden Down,” doesn’t kindle the kind of fire you’d
expect from such a pairing.
Don’t think, though, that
Life Before Insanity is a bad album; the strong tracks
easily carry this disc through, and leave you wanting to go through
the entire musical journey again. But what Haynes and crew need to
work on is figuring out what it takes to keep that fresh approach
to the music running throughout the course of the whole album. It’s
not the easiest thing in the world to accomplish – and I’m not
saying I could do better – but Gov’t Mule’s successes on this disc
leave little room for doubt that they’re indeed capable of
achieving the goal.
Fans of groups like The Allman Brothers Band, or anyone who’s
followed Haynes’s work over the last decade or so, will definitely
want to check out
Life Before Insanity – but be prepared to be taken on a ride
with many highs and lows.