LOOKING AT THE FUTURE THROUGH A BRIGHTER LENS
A CONVERSATION WITH WARREN HAYNES
“I think I intentionally don’t want to get caught in doing things the same way all the time, so I’m always looking for an opportunity to approach the song from a different standpoint,” comments iconic guitarist and founding member of Gov’t Mule Warren Haynes. Throughout his career, whether it be with Gov’t Mule, The Allman Brothers Band, collaborating with members of Grateful Dead, his solo career, or his various other projects and collaborations, Haynes has constantly shown his impressive range and talent as a guitarist and songwriter. On November 1st, 2024, Haynes released Million Voices Whisper, his latest solo album and first in nearly a decade.
“It mostly represents positive change in my life and looking at the future through a brighter lens and a change in direction lyrically and musically for me that I feel I’m travelling down now and one I kind of designed that way,” Haynes states about Million Voices Whisper. “I reached a point in my songwriting career that I felt like I wanted to explore a lot of new directions, and I wanted to kind of get away from some of the subject matters I’ve written about in the past and focus on things that are currently most important to me. A lot of that is relationships, life, and a lot of self-reflection.”
Million Voices Whisper started when Haynes began writing a bunch of songs that did not feel like Gov’t Mule songs. “Once I had written four, five, or six songs in the same direction that didn’t seem like Gov’t Mule songs that’s usually an indication that it’s time for me make a solo record. I’ve only made four solo records in over 30 years, so it doesn’t happen that often… I’ve just been writing a lot and, in this case, wanted to document all these songs and explore a direction that was different than what I’d done in the past.”
Usually, Haynes knows when a song will be for Gov’t Mule or a solo thing. “Gov’t Mule kind of demands its own lyrical approach. A lot of times, if I write a song and the lyrical approach seems completely different, then it kind of gives me an indication that it doesn’t want to be a Gov’t Mule song and wants to be a song for a solo record or a song for someone else. That stands from a musical standpoint as well in the way that Gov’t Mule has its own musical personality. We can include a lot of genres and do include a lot of genres as influences, but if it goes too far away from the original concept of Gov’t Mule, then I look at it as being a song that’s meant to be interpreted for a solo project or a different project. Having said that, I think there’s room on each Gov’t Mule record for two or three songs that are a bit outside of the box a little for us, and oftentimes that’s the case. So, you could probably handpick a few songs from this record that could have been interpreted by Gov’t Mule even though they’re quite different.”
Haynes is always looking for ways to change things up and experiment musically and lyrically with each project. He finds Million Voices Whisper is one that he experimented the most with. “I try to make every project that I do different than the one before,” he exclaims. “That goes for solo records and Gov’t Mule records. I do think this one is kind of a turning point for me, and I went into this project wanting it to be completely different, and I’m happy with the way it wound up.”
MILLION VOICES WHISPER ALBUM REVIEW
One of the most interesting tracks from Million Voices Whisper is “Lies, Lies, Lies > Monkey Dance > Lies, Lies, Lies”. “It probably started out with that guitar hooks,” says Haynes. “It is very funk orientated, and it’s kind of got a James Brown feel and also kind of reminds me a little bit of Tower Of Power, which is due to largely what Kevin Scott is playing on the bass. That song kind of took shape in the studio and the middle section which we call ‘Monkey Dance’ is that whole kind of instrumental jam that’s basically based on four or five different themes and key signatures. We really just kind of explored that to see where it would go, and the take we wound up using was either the first take or a very early take. It just had that magical feel about it. It’s an odd concept of starting with a song, then going into another song, and then back into the original song. It’s more something that bands like us do on stage but not much in the studio, but I think for this record, it was important to capture some of that spirit in the studio as well.”
Derek Trucks is featured in numerous songs on Million Voices Whisper. Haynes and Trucks have collaborated numerous times in the past and really enjoy working together. “We’ve played on stage together hundreds of times and spent hundreds of hours in the studio together,” comments Haynes. “We had written two of these songs together, “These Changes” and “Hall Of Future Saints”. The other song that Derek is featured on is” Real, Real Love” that I finished after Gregg Allman passed. Gregg had started writing that song and never completed it. I really wanted Derek to be a part of that.”
Jamey Johnson and Lukas Nelson are also featured and helped with this album. “I’ve known those guys for a long time, and we sang together in The Last Waltz Tour years ago,” says Haynes. “We always loved the way our three voices blended together with Lukas on the top, me in the middle, and Jamey on the bottom. It’s a very unique kind of special harmony blend. So, I wanted to capture that for this album as well. Since Jamey had co-written the song “Go Down Swinging” and Lukas had co-written the song “Day Of Reckoning”, I thought it was important to include them in this concept.”
Haynes was a longtime guitarist of The Allman Brothers Band and has performed and toured alongside many members of Grateful Dead. These two bands are wildly different in sound and style, but Haynes finds they have one thing in common that makes their music so great and timeless. “I think the common thread that runs through The Allman Brothers music and Grateful Dead’s music is their ability to combine great songs with unique and fresh style of improvising. They’re both prime examples of striking a balance between just playing songs that are beautifully written and exploring the beauty of improvisation. I think both of those bands prove their point that either one of those two things on its own is great, but to strike a balance between the two is much more dimensional, timeless, and meaningful… That’s something I’ve always taken a cue from is to strive to be able to have great songs but also be able to have vehicles and the opportunity to explore music in an improvisational manner.”
“Till The Sun Comes Shining Through” is an example of a song in which Haynes utilizes some improvisational elements. “It was written as a much more concise song, and once we got into the studio, I decided that it would be more powerful and more meaningful if I did this big, long slide guitar solo at the end, which didn’t happen until we were in the studio arranging the song,” he comments. “It was kind of a last-minute addition, and I think it makes the song more of a centrepiece for the album. Of course, the live shows are more geared for stretching out. On a studio record you have maybe two or three moments where you capture that live spirit.”
Throughout 2025, Haynes will be on tour to promote Million Voices Whisper. He is psyched to share these songs with fans in a live setting. “We don’t vary the setlist as much as Gov’t Mule does, but every show is a little bit different,” he says. “We’re playing a lot of songs from the new record but also playing songs from all my solo records and a few Gov’t Mule songs, a few Allman Brothers songs, maybe a choice cover here and there. We try and offer a little bit of everything. A lot of our fans come to multiple shows, so we try to provide a different experience each night.”
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Photo Credit: Shervin Lainez
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: WARREN HAYNES – MILLION VOICES WHISPER
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