Gov't Mule
Deja Voodoo

Gov’t Mule – Deja Voodoo

1-Bad Man Walking
2-About To Rage
3-Perfect Shelter
4-Toy Brain
5-Slackjaw Jezebel
6-Wine And Blood
7-Lola Leave Your Lights On
8-Silent Scream
9-No Celebration
10-Mr. Man
11-Separate Reality
12-New World Blues

Finally, the Mule has done it… after years of touring, through various albums and musical genres, they have reached their most successful incarnation. Not that the previous records were bad, on the contrary… beautiful, very varied, with some truly winning punches, some covers, and some stylistic slips, all in the name of the classic power trio, led by the fluid and versatile guitar style of Warren Haynes and his warm and powerful voice, accompanied by Matt Abts and Allen Woody, on drums and bass respectively, for a rhythm section that is nothing short of rock solid. Unfortunately, Allen's passing in 2000, remembered in a monumental operation consisting of the release of two studio albums (The Deep End 1 & 2), and one live (The Deepest End) in which numerous world-famous bassists and various other guests commemorate the deceased, forced Warren to change the pace.
Replacing the late bassist was Andy Hess, and Danny Louis joined on keyboards. While from a human standpoint, Allen's departure was dramatic and traumatic, from a strictly musical point of view, the new members do not make you miss him: Andy is a precise and talented bassist, and the addition of keyboards has significantly benefited the band's sound. Deja Voodoo is an exceptional album; the sound is compact, powerful, and much darker compared to the group's other works... the Mule brand appears renewed but certainly not altered. For those accustomed to the Mule and new entries alike, the album is not of an immediately impactful nature and requires several listens to be truly absorbed. It's an effort you won't regret…

I-Bad Man Walking

We start really strong with “Bad Man Walking”: a rocky hard rock-blues where we can immediately appreciate how beneficial Danny Louis' inclusion in the lineup is; a great song, very powerful, and definitely adrenaline-pumping. Warren wanted to make things clear right away, following a tradition of opening his albums with energetic pieces (Dose: Blind Man in the Dark; Life Before Insanity: Wandering Child; The Deep End Vol.1: Fool’s Moon). The solo is beautiful and decisive, as intense as the piece, with the use of the wah-wah.

II-About To Rage

Things get really serious here and "About to Rage” seems to be placed here just to remind us of that: a hard and granite-like psychedelic southern rock ballad. Fabulous as it builds with the Hammond leading and Warren's guitar drawing spectacular sounds in the granite-like chorus with deep chords interspersed by Matt's skillful kick drum. Splendid, sometimes hypnotic in its slow and majestic progress, really evocative for almost 8 minutes of this renewed yet recognizable Mule sound.

III-Perfect Shelter

“Perfect Shelter” is the first great surprise of the album. The track is quite funky in sound, showing extensive use of the wah-wah and a great groove. Gov’t Mule is truly firing on all cylinders, and Matt and Andy slide together wonderfully as if they’ve been playing together forever; with Danny, they form the perfect wall of sound to support Warren's guitar evolutions, whose overflowing solo in the middle part of the song is in pure Hendrix style.

IV-Little Toy Brain

“Little Toy Brain” once again showcases the great ability of Warren in writing truly convincing and engaging ballads, although it is slightly weaker compared to the other great ballad of the album, Wine & Blood. At first listen, it may seem quite ordinary in structure, very canonical, but don't worry, it takes off after a few listens…

V-Slackjaw Jezebel

“Slackjaw Jezebel” is characterized by an emphatic rhythm, slightly filtered vocals, and a rhythm section advancing powerfully like a steamroller; all these elements make it a powerful rock-blues with great impact that characterizes several episodes of the album.

VI-Wine And Blood

“Wine and Blood” is one of the cornerstones of the album: for the first time, Warren is trying his hand at pedal steel, which gives the song a slightly country-like atmosphere. Nevertheless, the experiment turns out to be a great success because this ballad is disarmingly beautiful, with Warren Haynes in the role of a sweet and melancholic singer, yet always extremely credible. He fits perfectly in these atmospheres, as demonstrated by his solo live album (Live at Bonnaroo). Of course, the great guitar solo is not missing, adding another gem to our already extensive repertoire.

VII-Lola Leave Your Lights On

This piece is an overflowing hard rock song clearly derived from the house of Kinks, the initial riff almost seems like it could be from “You Really Got Me”; Warren really enjoys these nods to the masters of the past (evidence of Haynes' love for citations; listen to the 16.34 minutes of Trane on Live at Roseland Ballroom, with quotes from Third Stone from the Sun by Jimi Hendrix and St. Stephen by the Grateful Dead). The rest is a continuation of incredible guitar evolutions with truly excellent solos. From his side, Matt brings out his pounding drumming that we know well.

VIII-Silent Scream

Among the great tracks on the album, it is absolutely necessary to include “Silent Scream”, a multi-section jam-ballad like we haven't heard in dozens of years; Warren once again demonstrates his ability to draw abundantly from the past with great taste for interpretation and reinterpretation. Almost 11 minutes of dark, psychedelic atmospheres with continuous improvisations, fabulous guitar and keyboard solos, time changes, hard-southern shades and more. In the Floyd-like “Silent Scream”, after all, you find a bit of all Gov’t Mule's music, yet it goes beyond indicating new horizons that leave much curiosity and the certainty that the band can venture really far…

IX-No Celebration

“No Celebration” is a good ballad, with a classic central build-up, but it does not add or subtract anything from the value of the album.

X-Mr. Man

The lively “Mr. Man” is a real rock-blues shard with an irresistible flair and a splendid duet between Haynes' Gibson and Louis' Hammond, a song that helps raise the rating of the album, as do the two concluding tracks.

XI-Separate Reality

“Separate Reality” is another great hard-rock ballad decidedly inspired, with great Warren singing splendidly and with the band still showcasing their top form, delivering great emotions.

XII-New World Blues

The album closes with “New World Blues”, an hard-blues with a fairly dark and powerful sound, with a great sonic impact. Truly a great song for a powerful and decisive closure. The central and final super solo by the leader is one for the history books.