Singer-songwriter-guitar player Warren Haynes is one of the most influential artists in the southern rock scene. Haynes played in the Allman Brothers Band from 1989 to 2014 with Gregg Allman, who had a great influence on Haynes’ guitar playing and songwriting. In addition, Haynes has led his band Gov’t Mule since 1994 and plays a lot in (mostly) one-off projects with numerous (blues) musicians.
‘Million Voices Whisper’ is Haynes’ fourth solo album.
It is an album with mostly soul songs, such as in the soul jazz track Go Down Swinging with beautiful horn arrangements. These Changes, featuring guitarist Derek Trucks (he played with Haynes in the Allman Brothers), Day Of Reckoning and the slide guitar ballad Till The Sun Comes Shining Through also belong to this category.
The influence of Greg Allman can be heard mainly in This Life As We Know It and understandably in Real, Real Love, a song that Gregg Allman worked on shortly before he died and that Warren Haynes has now finished.
And then there are three funky Gov’t Mule-like tracks, the medley Lies, Lies, Lies/Monkey Dance with beautiful guitar/organ interplay, Hall Of Future Saints and the great Terrified.
But the undisputed highlight of ‘Million Voices Whisper’ is the beautiful You Ain’t Above Me sung by Haynes with a beautiful southern drawl and imagining Gregg Allman singing this track, you are immediately in seventh heaven.
With ‘Million Voices Whisper,’ Warren Haynes proves once again to be an excellent songwriter and versatile (southern) rock musician.
