![\"govt-mule-Issue-No30\"](\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/govt-mule-Issue-No30.jpg\")
Gov’t Mule<\/h1>\nGov’t Mule<\/h1>\nGov\u2019t Mule didn\u2019t intend their latest release as a celebration of the band\u2019s 20th anniversary next year. That\u2019s not why Shout!<\/i> is a double-disc set packed with guest singers\u2014it just turned out that way.<\/p>\n
Gov\u2019t Mule\u2014frontman Warren Haynes, drummer Matt Abts, keyboardist and guitarist Danny Louis and bassist Jorgen Carlsson\u2014began writing and recording for the album as they normally would. But they ended up with 11 songs and<\/i> 11 additional versions that featured vocal performances from the likes of Dave Matthews, Elvis Costello, Steve Winwood and My Morning Jacket\u2019s Jim James.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just figured we were doing the next Gov\u2019t Mule record,\u201d says Haynes. \u201cBut this all came about very organically. It started with one singer, then two, then three\u2014the three being Elvis Costello, Dr. John and Toots Hibbert. At first, we planned to have them sing a small cameo, but it seemed a waste to have these great singers do only that. So we decided to have them sing the whole song. Once we had the three songs it made sense to do more, and then have a bonus disc with a different version of every song sung by a different singer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some selections, like former Deep Purple vocalist Glenn Hughes and the Nocturnals\u2019 Grace Potter, are an obvious fit for Gov\u2019t Mule\u2019s music. But others, particularly Costello, are surprising.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe chose each singer according to the song,\u201d explains Haynes. \u201cI made a list of each song and who I would like to hear sing it, and started making phone calls. The most important aspect of the project was picking the right singer for each song. The thing about this record that I\u2019m proudest of is that each singer sounds like they were meant to sing the song.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gov\u2019t Mule\u2019s backing tracks weren\u2019t just recycled for the bonus disc. If the song demanded it, or if they felt inspired by the vocal cut, the band rearranged or added parts, making the project much more collaborative.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Dr. John version of \u2018Stoop So Low\u2019 is two or three minutes longer than the version on disc one. That whole Afro jam is a different performance and musical direction,\u201d says Haynes. \u201cWe thought it was important for each song to vary from the original. The ones on the second disc feature the singers more, while disc one is our interpretation and how we normally do a song. You get to see how the guest singers\u2019 brains work and how Gov\u2019t Mule\u2019s brain works.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013Linda Laban<\/p>\n
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Gov’t Mule The blues-rock jammers take a novel approach to a double-disc set Gov\u2019t Mule didn\u2019t intend their latest release as a celebration of the band\u2019s 20th anniversary next year. That\u2019s not why Shout! is a double-disc set packed with guest singers\u2014it just turned out that way. Gov\u2019t Mule\u2014frontman Warren Haynes, drummer Matt Abts, keyboardist […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[4564,7299,10156],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11320"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11320"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11320\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11322,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11320\/revisions\/11322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}