Gov’t Mule

Live, these guys burn it up so much, you can fry an egg on any stage they’re standing on. Yes, they jam, but they are grittier and heavier than the average jam band. And because they model their sense of interplay after classic jazz outfits, it’s unfair to dismiss Warren Haynes as a standard blues-rock guitarist and the rest of the band as mere props backing him up. Gov’t Mule goes deep on soulfulness and groove. On the other hand, the band’s passion, fire and greasy fluidity are understandably difficult to capture on record. The relatively sedate material on this album, the first studio appearance of keyboardist Danny Louis and bassist Andy Hess, will most certainly come blazing to life in concert. If you want to come as close as possible to that dimension with Deja Voodoo, turn it up loud on the most kick-ass stereo you can find.