It's pretty evident that Gov't Mule are showing no signs of slowing down after hearing "Broke Down on the Brazos", the opening track to their excellent new release By a Thread. On this track, Warren Haynes and the Mule enlisted the help of ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons to trade some serious licks with Haynes on what is a sizzling Southern/blues rock/jam number, heavy on riffs and a psychedelic attitude. Things don't let up there, as next up comes the heavy, 70's influenced hard rocker "Steppin Lightly", a gritty piece featuring some nasty guitar work from Haynes and plenty of beefy bass grooves from new guy Jorgen Carlsson. Warren's tender vocals lead in the haunting "Railroad Boy", a rootsy, bluesy number that could have found a home with his other band, The Allman Brothers Band, or even Lynyrd Skynyrd for that matter. Southern Rock at its finest.
With such strong first three songs, you'd think that a let up was bound to happen, but Gov't Mule continue to impress throughout By a Thread. The psychedelic, almost proggy "Monday Mourning Meltdown" features some trippy keyboard work from Danny Louis that complements Carlsson's elastic bass lines and Haynes' tasty guitar textures. "Gordon James" is a somber, sing-along Southern Rocker, again, a piece that will instantly appeal to fans of The Allman Brothers Band, and contains some great vocals & slide guitar from Warren. Another great 70's styled hard rocker is "Any Open Window", complete with searing guitar and tricky drum fills from Matt Abts, and perhaps the highlight here is the wah-wah drenched "Inside Outside Woman Blues #3", one of the most exciting songs this band has ever written. Warren brings back images of Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan and this beefy, psychedelic number, his wah-wah soaked riffs and solos playing off swirling organ from Louis as if his guitar was talking, and there's plenty of heavy riffs and extended jams here to please just about any hard rock or jam band fan.
This band has been making stellar music for quite a while now, and whether you like their early trio stuff or their more musical later period, there's a nice mix of muscle, jam, and song based material on By a Thread that will keep you coming back for more.
Track Listing
1. Broke Down On The Brazos
2. Steppin Lightly
3. Railroad Boy
4. Monday Mourning Meltdown
5. Gordon James
6. Any Open Window
7. Frozen Fear
8. Forevermore
9. Inside Outside Woman Blues #3
10. Scenes From A Troubled Mind
11. World Wake Up
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