|
| |
Gov't Mule
High & Mighty
(ATO)
First Appeared in The Music Box, August 2006, Volume 13, #8
Written by John Metzger
If Déjà Voodoo sent a message that Gov’t Mule wasn’t about to fall apart after the
death of founding bass player Allen Woody, then High & Mighty boldly
declares that it is still a force with which to be reckoned. Throughout the set,
guitarist Warren Haynes, drummer Matt Abts, keyboard player Danny Louis, and
Woody’s replacement Andy Hess continue to inject a jam band aesthetic into their
’70s hard rock and heavy metal influences, but truth be told, Gov’t Mule hasn’t
sounded this energized and confident since its self-titled debut. There’s an
unrelenting fury to the manner in which Abts and Hess provide the songs with
their dense, unstoppable undercurrents, and Louis adds splashes of color
whenever they are most needed. Naturally, Haynes uses his quicksilver guitar
accompaniments to slice through the sonic sludge, but instead of coming across
like a dated showcase for his pyrotechnic displays, the ensemble finally feels
as if it is performing like a fully cohesive unit.
As always, Gov’t Mule is utterly unapologetic in its appropriations from the
past, and right from the start, it tosses bits of Deep Purple, Mountain, and
Foreigner into the crisp and crunchy, AC/DC-derived blues of Mr. High &
Mighty. That the outing comes at a time when the sounds of New Wave once
again are popular only enhances the feeling that the endeavor is, in effect, the
group’s Back in Black. Elsewhere, the ensemble dabbles in political
discourse via the buzzing mechanical bite of Like Flies and the loose,
elastic, reggae vibrations of Unring the Bell; it thrashes Streamline
Woman with all the tenacity of Led Zeppelin; and it appropriately draws from
the Allman Brothers Band for Brand New Angel, though it funnels the tune
through a heavier chugging groove that is reminiscent of The Edgar Winter Group.
In fact, the only place in which High & Mighty falters is during its
obligatory power ballads (So Weak, So Strong; Nothing Again).
After losing a key member, its rare that a band is given a second chance.
Yet, Gov’t Mule has succeeded in doing the impossible by becoming as good, if
not better, than its original incarnation. For all the star-powered
extravaganzas that were formulated after Allen Woody’s death, Gov’t Mule’s
resurgence on High & Mighty serves as the finest tribute to him that
Haynes and Abts could ever hope to concoct.  ½
High & Mighty is available from Amazon.com.
To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
For UK orders, please
Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2006 The Music Box
|
