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Warren Haynes’ ‘Man in Motion’: His Best Work Yet??
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Posted by: Roger Smith | Posted in: Artist / Heroes, Music Reviews,
by Roger Smith, President/CEO of Source Audio
About five years ago Rolling Stone magazine ranked Warren Haynes #23 on their list of the greatest guitarists of all time. For some at the time, it was a controversial choice when bracketed by the likes of Mike Bloomfield (#22) and The Edge (#24). However, over the last 5 years Warren has not only justified the prescient placement amongst the best but also positioned himself to climb even higher. In the Allman Brothers Band, Warren has been the Musical Director of the 41 year old juggernaut during an era that many fans, both old and new, would rank right up there with that era of Duane Allman and Barry Oakley at their peak. At the same time, Warren has taken his own Gov’t Mule into many different creative directions and built a huge and loyal fan base. Oh yes, he also plays solo acoustic sets and steps on stage to jam with everyone from Eric Clapton at the CrossRoads Festival to Steve Miller to Peter Frampton and beyond. Warren’s creative genius is relentless, and this week he has unveiled yet another new gem: The Warren Haynes Band, an R&B/Soul “Show Band and Revue” which astounded crowds at the Beacon in New York and the Orpheum in Boston.
Warren is an old friend of Source Audio. He was the first touring artist to play the original Hot Hand prototype. Jesse and I caught up with him on the ABB tour in Orlando in 2005 with a demo unit the size of a large pizza box and a wired motion sensing ring fashioned out of an old rubber water-ski glove. It was ugly, but it did work and Warren instantly got the idea. He subsequently was the first to try out the Phaser/Flanger a year later and then went on to use our Wah Filters to recreate Jerry Garcia’s envelope filter tones on the Dead tour. In person Warren is a warm, engaging southern gentleman with deep knowledge in a wide range of subjects.
I grew up in the city of New Haven where I passionately listened to urban influenced R&B and Soul music on AM 1300 WAVZ in the late 1960s and very early 1970s. Meanwhile, Warren was in Asheville, NC at the same time and soaking up the same sounds and vibes (we were born only 30 days apart). Warren’s passion around R&B and Soul shows up from time to time in his work with Gov't Mule and certainly during his solo acoustic performances. Specifically, I have seen Warren pour arresting levels of soulful feeling into emotionally complex songs such as the Door’s “When the Music’s Over” and Fleetwood Mac’s “Gold Dust Woman”. Those experiences gave a hint that Warren could open up a door to a whole new set of exciting material, and with the new band and new album Man in Motion, he has done EXACTLY that and more.
When a guitarist/singer/songwriter follows a new artistic calling, the results can be mixed….or worse. I will be polite and not name names, but you know what I mean. It is a rare event when it works out well. After spending 4 days with Warren’s new album Man in Motion and seeing the show in Boston on Friday night, I am willing to say that this may indeed be some of his finest work on top of an already staggering resume. Warren’s new touring band, which apparently will co-exist with Gov’t Mule and ABB (yet another welcome departure from traditional artist practice), is comprised of an interesting collection of artists with solid roots in both R&B and beyond.
Nigel Hall plays keys and backup vocals. We know Nigel well from his work in the same role with Source Audio artist Eric Krasno in Chapter 2 as well as occasional appearances with the epic soul/funk/jam revue Lettuce where he sings a stirring rendition of Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up”. More solid vocal support comes from Ruthie Foster who stunned the crowd with Aretha-like power and graceful control. Interestingly, Ruthie grew out of a gospel choir background, which is identical to many of the original soul goddesses back in the day. Sax Player Ron Holloway also stole the show at times especially during a call and response session with Warren that would give ABB partner and virtuoso Derek Trucks a run for his money. Ron has a long resume which starts with prodigal recognition and collaboration with Gil Scott Heron and Dizzy Gillespie and continues on with long association with Susan Tedeschi and Little Feat. Bassist Ron Johnson was a key member of Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe as well as The New Monsoon. How is that for balance on the resume! Finally, drummer Terence Higgins brings his solid funk grooves from New Orleans and the legendary Dirty Dozen Brass Band. In summary, this is a band with depth, chops, and an ultra-wide genre comfort zone. Oh, did I mention that Warren plays lead guitar and vocals? He has a good resume too.
Interestingly, Warren played less with his signature Les Paul than I have ever recalled. Most of the night he was working a blond Gibson hollow body, which might well be a custom guitar. It is certainly not the red Gibson hollow body (ES-345?) which Warren plays frequently and is on the new CD jacket. Warren’s amp rig is also toned down. I did not have time to focus much on this area, but it seemed to take up about half the space of the Mule rig and I do not recall seeing nor hearing the signature Leslie. I did, however, hear lots of wah from both pedal and envelope-driven. I may have also heard a rare octave-up tone, but I will need to confirm this at some point. Overall, it was still full-on Warren, but with a determinedly different tonal arsenal.
While the awesome band and mostly new material might signal a break from all that is the Haynes tradition (all tracks but one are penned by Warren - the other is a William Bell classic written by Booker T.), the music has Warren’s influence and sound all over it. The Album has a timeless feel which will appeal to anyone with a fondness for the old Memphis sound. It will also appeal to most Mule fans, and that is quit a trick. Stand out tracks are the title, Man in Motion, “River’s Gonna Rise”, “Sick of my Shadow” (my new favorite), and “Take a Bullet”, but this is one of the few albums these days that you will play from beginning to end each time. The three hour live show covers most of the high points of the album, but also mixes in a few choice covers. Warren created this music with an intent to play it live, and the transition from studio to stage is seamless. I noted that the set list in New York was different and included some special guests as well including none other than William Bell and even Brad Whitford. In Boston we were treated to a mash-up of Warren’s Soulshine" and Van’s "Tupelo Honey" which took both classic songs to new heights and whipped the crowd into a frenzy.
As the evening went on the crowd got louder and louder and more and more excited. Warren is a man of integrity both on and off stage, and it was clear to all that he was so happy to see the crowd embrace his new gig. It’s also truly refreshing to see a seasoned famous artist take a big risk and then blush when faced with thunderous approval and acceptance. The man has got soul and with his new band he can share that soul in magical and wonderful new ways. Well done, Warren!!
Warren Haynes Band Tour 2011
Tuesday, May 17th - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
Wednesday, May 18th - Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theatre
Saturday, May 21st - Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall
Sunday, May 22nd - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater
Tuesday, May 24th - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
Wednesday, May 25th - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
Thursday, June 9th to Sunday, June 12th - Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Music Festival 2011
Friday, June 17th - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
Friday, June 24th to Sunday, June 26th - Atlantic City, NJ - Dave Matthews Band Caravan
Tuesday, June 28th - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
Tuesday, July 5th - London, UK - O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
Thursday, July 7th - Cologne, Germany - Live Music Hall
Friday, July 8th - Paris, France - Olympia
Saturday, July 9th - Cahors, France - Espace Bessieres
Wednesday, July 13th - Hamburg, Germany - Fabrik
Friday, September 16th - Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada - Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival
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