Gov’t Mule - Soulshine

When it comes to covering the Allman Brothers Band, you better have your house in order – which is good for Gov’t Mule, considering the band is a revolving door of ex-Allman Brothers Band members. Founded by longtime Allman alumni Warren Haynes and Allen Woody (not to be confused in a mirror with the acclaimed writer/director) in 1994, the band's bluesy Southern roots were an immediate transfer over to the new save file. 

Not that this is in any way an issue – blues rock + jam-band shenanigans is a formula so perfect they could put it in whatever museum they put the top tier of everything in and retire it forever. The revolving door policy of the Allman Brothers Band as aforementioned was kept in high tradition, too, with every legend of all the southern rock genres seemingly featuring at one point or another. If there was any band suited or capable enough to pull off Soulshine, it was always going to be Gov’t Mule. Especially as Warren Haynes wrote the song in the first place. 

Of course, all of this missed the biggest factor being, like the biggest mitigating factor in getting out of a speeding ticket, is that it is completely and utterly gorgeous. The Gov’t Mule recording of Soulshine is, in every sense, a true tribute song, comprised of so many complex emotional layers like a lasagna made out of tears and fond memories. The death of Allen Woody in August of 2000 led to the creation of what was originally planned to be a handful of cover songs with bass players that Woody admired. So many players answered the call they managed to record two albums worth of covers, and that’s before we get into every other member of personnel who wanted to be involved in a tribute to the late, great man. Original co-writer and singer Larry McRay lent his vocals, also Allman Charles Leavell played the tear-jerking organ intro and Dave Matthews Band player and all-time great Tim Reynolds laid down his best and brightest riffs for what might be, in this gremlin’s humble opinion, one of the most charged and beautiful covers ever put to record. Need I say more? Don’t miss a second of this one, folks – it might be the best thing to happen to you today.