ALBUM REVIEW: Gov’t Mule Honors Influences With Their Own Twist

It wasn’t until the members of Gov’t Mule needed to come up with a name for their latest project that guitarist/singer/songwriter Warren Haynes discovered there was a consistent theme running throughout the lyrics. “The River Only Flows One Way,” “Made My Peace,” “Just Across the River,” and “Peace I Need” all left the veteran rockers with no other choice but to settle on a phrase that combined the two main themes addressed in these titles: Peace … Like a River.

Although it was recorded during the same sessions as 2021’s Heavy Load Blues (ND story), Peace … Like a River (again produced by Haynes with John Paterno) is its own beast, boasting 12 new original tracks that play to the Mule’s strengths while stretching their collective musical, and lyrical, muscle. The songs range from ’60s- and ’70s-inspired hard rock (“After the Storm”) and soul-deep, devastating ballads (“Your Only Friend”) to anthemic Southern rock (“Gone Too Long”) and offer bold experimental textures throughout. Haynes says the tracks for Peace … Like a River were recorded during the daylight hours, while the Heavy Load Blues sessions were tracked at night on different equipment in a separate room. In this way, the albums stand on their own as unique statements.

As these sessions illustrate, Gov’t Mule was on a creative tear, with Haynes writing more than he had in decades (a rare positive outcome of the pandemic lockdown). Building on the social and culturally conscious approach to 2017’s Revolution Come … Revolution Go, current events are addressed without proselytizing or needing to pander. “Long Time Comin’” cautiously celebrates the idea that we as a culture may finally be “turning a corner” and making a positive change. First single, “Dreaming Out Loud,” features vocals by Ivan Neville and Ruthie Foster, both of whom last appeared on Haynes’ 2011 solo outing Man in Motion. Here, they trade lines inspired by quotes from late civil rights leader and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert and John Kennedy. Musically, it’s the Mule at their funkiest. Influences by everyone from The Meters to Sly and the Family Stone dance around a truly magnificent Larry Graham-inspired bassline from Jorgen Carlsson.

Carlsson, always a muscular and powerful bassist, goes above (or below) and beyond on Peace … Like a River. It’s bittersweet hearing his bass rumble while driving the songs here, however, considering it was recently announced he was leaving the group. (His replacement, Kevin Scott, is joining the Mule for the remainder of their summer tour). Regardless, Matt Abts continues his steady, yet endlessly inventive, percussive grooves informed by funk, jazz, and the golden era of hard rock throughout Peace … Like a River.

Gov’t Mule (photo by Shervin Lainez)

A few other guests lend their voices. Longtime friend Billy Bob Thornton delivers a spoken-word lead to “The River Only Flows One Way,” a hypnotic journey that features Danny Louis’ inventive keyboard work. The track hovers around some alternate universe where Tom Waits, Parliament, and Frank Zappa collaborate over a reggae groove. It’s a fun, sweaty nod back to Mighty High-era Mule. Elsewhere, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Celisse joins in on the funk/soul groover “Just Across the River,” and her mighty gospel-tinged vocals elevates an already inspired track.

For as long as they’ve been a band, the Mule has cited the whacked-out blues of ZZ Top as an inspirational cornerstone of their sound. Throughout the grungy, dusty twists and turns of “Shake Our Way Out,” Billy F. Gibbons’ unmistakable growl elevates a track that wouldn’t sound out of place on Tejas or Deguello. It’s the first Gibbons/Mule collab since “Broke Down on the Brazos” kicked off 2009’s By a Thread.

Haynes says he drew inspiration from John Lennon’s multi-tracked vocals and other Beatles touches that inform the epic “Made My Peace,” yet there’s also a strong Meddle-era Pink Floyd vibe running through it.

The CD version of Peace … Like a River comes with a bonus EP, Time of the Signs, which includes five tracks that, although they didn’t make it onto the album proper, are well worth the extra cash. They include the Physical Graffiti-era lurch of “Stumblebum,” the classic-pop-rock-leaning “Under the Tent” that conjures late ’70s Jefferson Starship, albeit from another planet, and the haunting, nocturnal blues of “Blue, Blue Wind” (which would’ve made a fine addition to Heavy Load Blues).

Throughout Peace … Like a River, Haynes and company successfully honor their influences while blending them into a vital, exciting mix that remains quintessentially and undeniably Gov’t Mule.

Gov’t Mule’s Peace … Like a River is out June 16 via Fantasy Records.