Review: Gov’t Mule: ‘Peace…Like A River’

GOV’T MULE
PEACE…LIKE A RIVER
(Fantasy)
****

Gov’t Mule’s 12th album, Peace…Like A River also ranks as their most accessible effort yet. While mostly known as a jam band best known for their instrumental acumen, Peace…Like A River proves their populist appeal also extends to songs that can imbue an emphatic imprint.

That fact’s evident throughout the album overall. While an array of special guests—Billy F Gibbons, Ivan Neville, and Billy Bob Thornton, among them—naturally add to the interest and allure, it’s the songs themselves that provide the most obvious appeal. The punchy, funky “Dreaming Out Loud” is bound to get the crowds swaying during the band’s live performances, while the thoughtful “Your Only Friend” and the extended album opener, “Same As It Ever Was,” provide a sense of calm and contemplation. Singer/guitarist Warren Haynes steers the proceedings with his usual aplomb, ensuring  each entry becomes a virtual tour-de-force of anthemic proportions. That’s particularly apparent in deliberate and decisive rockers such as “Head Full of Thunder” and “Shake Our Way Out.”

As always, Gov’t Mule’s ambitions are on full display throughout. For a four-piece band, Haynes, drummer Matt Abts, guitarist and keyboardist Danny Louis, and bassist Jorgen Carlsson are remarkably agile, as evidenced by the array of sounds the album shares over the course of its 12 tracks. The fully fueled “Peace I Need” finds a perfect fit in tandem with the album’s contemplative coda, “Gone Too Long,” as well as the plodding pace anchoring “Just Across The River,” featuring a searing vocal by guest singer Celisse.

So too, a sense of ominous urgency underscores the album overall, given its thematic focus on the dark divide that’s impacted the nation and the world. Something’s happening, it’s different today, Haynes insists on “Long Time Coming.” 

Given its rallying refrains and carefully considered sentiment, Peace…Like A River easily ranks as Gov’t Mule’s most moving effort yet. This River flows courtesy of soul, sentiment, passion, and purpose.

Photo by Shervin Lainez