Not many guitar players have as prestigious of a resume as Warren Haynes. Formerly of The Allman Brothers Band and founder of the band Gov’t Mule, Haynes has solidified a spot in the pantheon of modern blues rock royalty. In addition to work with ABB and Gov’t Mule, Haynes has another group, The Warren Haynes Band.
As a guitar player, I was first drawn to his guitar work through Guitar World magazine. Year after year, when they would have their “Guitarist of the Year” polls, Haynes was always winning the award for Best Slide Guitar Player for his work in Gov’t Mule. The first time I listened to his playing was on the album Mulennium, a triple live album recorded on New Year’s Eve 1999 and I was blown away.
Million Voices Whisper is the first release for the Warren Haynes Band in 10 years. He manages to bring together elements of 60s R&B and Soul music in songs like “Go Down Swinging” or the opening track “These Changes.” The guitar work is outstanding, with appearances by Derek Trucks, who also co-wrote 3 songs. “Real, Real Love” evokes a blues country ballad, and you can feel the influence of Gregg Allman in the song’s writing. My personal favorite song on the album was “Lies, Lies, Lies>Monkey Dance” with its funky, wah-wah guitar tones and foot-tapping groove. The final track, “Hall of Future Saints” is a 9 minute blues epic paying homage to the greats of the blues, with shoutouts to greats like Albert King, Son House and Elmore James.
Warren Haynes has shown throughout his career that he is a talented guitar player and songwriter. He shows on Million Voices Whisper that 35 years after joining the Allman Brothers, he still has a lot more to offer listeners.
Million Voices Whisper is now available digitally and on CD and vinyl on Friday, November 15th. You can order the CD or vinyl here and follow Warren on Facebook, Instagram and X.
Contributor
Scott Barton is a former news producer for WLOX-TV in Biloxi, MS and has been guitar player in multiple local bands in the Appleton/Fox Cities area of Wisconsin
