Gov't Mule: Live...With a Little Help from Our Friends : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

As graduates of the Allman Brothers' jam-band finishing school, Gov't Mule guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody know the difference between improvising and noodling. With drummer Matt Abts, Haynes and Woody form one of rock's most adventurous power trios, and they jam with purpose -- even when they're stretching tunes to the thirty-minute mark, as they do on Live . . . With a Little Help From Our Friends, the second concert release in the band's brief career. That sense of purpose is not shared by all the guests who appear on this double CD; Randall Bramblett's syrupy saxophone in particular sounds out of place on a rugged cover of Dave Mason's "Sad and Deep as You." The Mule's other friends -- especially Bernie Worrell, keyboardist for both Parliament and Funkadelic -- are a better fit. But the thrill is in hearing the core trio stretch out into this covers-heavy set, from Black Sabbath ("War Pigs") to John Coltrane ("Afro Blue"). Whether stomping like a brontosaurus or swinging like a bebop band, the Mule make every note burn. (RS 811)

GREG KOT