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Widespread Panic
Choice Cuts: The Capricorn Years 1991–1999
(Capricorn/Volcano/Legacy)
First Appeared in The Music Box, August 2007, Volume 14, #8
Written by John Metzger
These days, Widespread Panic has settled into its role as a bedraggled
veteran of the jam band scene. Setting aside its return-to-form on last year’s
Earth to America, the Georgian outfit has spent the better part of the
past decade searching for direction and trying to hold itself together. Even
before the premature death of guitarist Michael Houser, Widespread Panic had
been struggling to maintain the consistency that it had enjoyed during its early
years. It’s telling, for example, that since the release of 1999’s ’Til the
Medicine Takes, the ensemble has issued far more live efforts than studio
albums, and in a sense, Houser’s passing pushed the group off a cliff and forced
it to come to grips with its growing identity crisis. There was a time, however,
when the band — along with Phish and Blues Traveler — provided a fresh, new face
for the classic-rock sounds of the late ’60s and early ’70s, and its best, most
defining moments are chronicled by the series of sturdy recordings that it made
for the Capricorn label.
Considering that it was 25 years ago when Houser and vocalist John Bell first
began collaborating — and that Space Wrangler, the band’s debut, was
issued in 1988 — a retrospective examination of Widespread Panic’s canon has
been long overdue. Although it is far from comprehensive, Choice Cuts: The
Capricorn Years 1991–1999 nicely fills this void, and its attempt to
navigate the outfit’s first seven albums is nearly successful. The collection’s
biggest triumph largely comes from the manner in which it showcases the
diversity of the group’s approach. Although southern rock served as its prime
motivation — the works of the Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the
Dixie Dregs filter through nearly every track on the set — Widespread Panic
frequently cast a much wider net. This, in turn, allowed it to find new ways of
framing its heroes’ influences. During its heyday, it was as adept at crafting
singles (Ain’t Life Grand) as it was at exploring propulsive R&B (Chilly
Water). On Weight of the World, it tapped the Memphis Horns to
highlight its love of soul; the saloon-bred swagger of Blue Indian
revealed the Doors-ian tendencies that previously had drifted clandestinely
through Bell’s vocals; and a breezy romp through J.J. Cale’s Traveling Light
included an ode to Mark Knopfler.
Nevertheless, Choice Cuts: The Capricorn Years 1991–1999 isn’t without
its missteps. In its attempt to waltz in an evenhanded fashion through
Widespread Panic’s catalogue, it sometimes focuses upon the wrong moments. For
example, it includes Love Tractor from the band’s self-titled sophomore
set and Blackout Blues from Ain’t Life Grand at the expense of
drafting either the title track from Space Wrangler or its cover of Hope in a Hopeless World from the underrated Bombs & Butterflies. The
band’s performances on the latter tunes are indisputably stronger. Similarly,
Widespread Panic’s legacy would have been better served if the collection had
admitted the group’s imaginative pairing of Robert Johnson’s Me and the Devil
Blues with the Talking Heads’ Heaven instead of the two solid (but
lesser) concert cuts (Pickin’ Up the Pieces and Pigeons) from Light Fuse, Get Away. In addition, the chronological sequencing of the
endeavor provides a bumpier transition between tracks than was necessary. More
often than not, Choice Cuts: The Capricorn Years 1991–1999 does
accomplish its goals, though Space Wrangler and ’Til the Medicine
Takes remain more suitably convincing entrees to Widespread Panic’s work.  ½
Choice Cuts: The Capricorn Years 1991-1999 is available
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box
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