Collaboration has always been
Warren Haynes' forte. The former sessionman has had many homes --
the Allman Brothers Band and
Phil Lesh & Friends, to name two semi-regular ones -- but only one remotely permanent abode:
Gov't Mule, his musical partnership with bassist
Allen Woody and drummer
Matt Abts. When
Woody died in summer 2000,
Haynes found strength through more collaboration, opening
Gov't Mule's doors to literally dozens of guests.
The Deep End, Vol. 2 is the second volume of his tribute to
Woody, featuring the second part of a veritable who's who of the world of
rock bassists. Featured here are (among others):
Primus'
Les Claypool,
the Grateful Dead's
Phil Lesh,
Band of Gypsys'
Billy Cox, ex-
Metallica's
Jason Newsted, and
the Meters'
George Porter, Jr.. The music is typical
Mule: hard-rocking
Southern blues-rock. And though a lot of it sticks to that formula, the music manages to be pretty creative. The production is solid, and each bassist is given ample sonic space without ever sounding like a showboat. Despite the range of guests (whose day jobs include holding grooves for bands whose specialties include
New Orleans funk,
heavy metal,
psychedelic jamming, and rubbery, punky weirdness), the music all manages to sound like
Gov't Mule. This is mostly due to
Haynes' strength. Neither his guitar nor vocal styles are particularly innovative or original, but he's quite impressive at both (though his vocal mannerisms are a perhaps a touch affected from time to time). It is this voice, and the focus of creating a tribute to
Woody, that elevate this from a simple all-star jamboree to a coherent record. ~ Jesse Jarnow
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