Million Voices Whisper is the latest solo album from Asheville North Carolina's guitar god Warren Haynes, who even before Hurricane Helene devastated much of the area, he was heavily involved in making the town a better place and helping local homeless charities build suitable housing.
The album was produced by Warren at Power Station new England with help from a fine array of top musicians many of whom he works with in Gov't Mule, The Allman Brothers et al, Including Kevin Scott, Terrence Higgins, Derek Trucks, Saundra Williams, Lukas Nelson, Jamey Johnson, John Medeski, Greg Osby. The album is available on Double Vinyl or Deluxe cd with 4 Bonus songs.
The album opens with These Changes a languid soulful blues featuring Derek Trucks, Warren pours out his heart for how life's up's and downs have changed his relationship with you, baleful brass, a searing organ accompany the detailed guitar, used sparingly until two guitars joust magnificently towards the end of the song.
Go Down Swinging marries understated organ with cool brass stabs, Warren makes plain the need to never give up without a real fight, he isn't going down easy that's for certain, organ solo just signals the next round of the battle he’s involved in.
You Ain't Above Me is a soul stirrer with the organ and guitar working in and around each other, soul baring lyrics have an almost gospel blues intent.
This Life As We Know It feels like he's re-working a Nick Drake tune into a beacon of hope, wishes for survival against the odds, this song has added poignancy considering the events that have happened on his home turf in-between this being recorded and released. This is almost an anthem for the survivors of Hurricane Helene.
Day Of Reckoning featuring Lukas Nelson and Jamey Johnson is gospel-tinged hymn for hope at the arrival of the day of reckoning, questioning why it took so long to happen for biblical retribution of the sort only hurricanes and earthquakes can dish out. He hears a Million voices whispering about the day of reckoning, this song feels sadly prescient.
Real, Real Love featuring Dereck Trucks is another laid back soulful blues full of hope for one more great love to infect his soul, like the guitar solo wrenching each and every heartstring it can tug on cocooned within the brass and Saundra Williams backing vocals.
Lies, Lies, Lies,>Monkey Dance>Lies, Lies, Lies whoever could he be singing about, the anger and bile spewing out at all the deceit behaviour, over a deeply funky, strutting blues with MG's meets Alan Toussaint style phunky organ solo, with some outrageous bucking bronco guitar.
From Here On Out almost sounds like a Bruce Springsteen ballad, grateful for the life he's led, surviving it all despite the things he might have done differently if he had a second go round.
Till The Sun Comes Shining Through the hurricane has gone, the rains have left and you're picking up the pieces once more, you wonder just how things became this broken, Can Warren wipe away the darkness and bring back the sunshine, well he's gonna do everything in his gospel blues arsenal to heal those wounds.
Terrified has Warren on edge, but not about the things he ought to be cacking himself about, no this is about love anxieties rather than the awful state of the world around us, Hurricanes batter a nation in denial of climate change, truth has evaporated in a world in a tailspin, of a completely different nature to this heartbroken country blues workout.
The album closes with Hall Of Future Saints a hill country blues eulogy for all his fallen friends, he finds himself walking down that hall where they are all now at the great bandstand in the sky, he waits his chance to join them and get re-acquainted with old friends and meet older heroes all of whom are men.
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