Description
Gov’t Mule – Peace… Like A River – Double 180 Gram Orange and Red Smoke Vinyl Record
Limited Edition Indie Record Store Exclusive
Gov’t Mule’s Peace…Like a River arrived on June 16, 2023 as the band’s twelfth studio album (thirteenth according to some sources), issued by Fantasy Records and serving as a counterpoint to their blues-centric Heavy Load Blues sessions. Recorded at multiple locations—including Buck Jump Studios, Eusonia Studios, Foster Fonic Studios, Lucy’s Meat Market, Peppertree Hill Studio, and Power Station New England in Waterford, Connecticut—the album was produced by Warren Haynes alongside John Paterno, with the two concurrent projects (the blues album and Peace…Like a River) tracked in adjacent rooms using entirely different gear to preserve each record’s unique character
Musically, Peace…Like a River finds Gov’t Mule weaving concise songcraft with the extended instrumental explorations that have become their hallmark. Opening with “Same As It Ever Was,” the band immediately signals their ambitious scope: a melodic riff underpinned by Jorgen Carlsson’s driving bass and Matt Abts’s insistent drumming gives way to an expansive solo section that nods to both Southern rock swagger and improvisational freedom. Tracks like “Shake Our Way Out” (featuring guest guitar and vocals from Billy F. Gibbons) and “Made My Peace” balance groove-based riffing with soulful vocal delivery, while the nine-minute “Peace I Need” demonstrates Danny Louis’s textural keyboard work weaving between Haynes’s slide guitar figures. “Dreaming Out Loud” stands out as both single and thematic centerpiece, its lyrics stitching together inspirational quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Kennedys, and John Lewis over a gospel-tinged arrangement that features Ivan Neville and Ruthie Foster on backing vocals
Guest appearances deepen the album’s connective tissue to rock, soul, and Americana traditions. Billy Bob Thornton contributes lead vocals on “The River Only Flows One Way,” lending a cinematic, gravelly counterpoint to Haynes’s smoother timbre. Celisse adds fresh harmonies across several tracks, while Warren Haynes’s longtime collaborator Ivan Neville—together with Ruthie Foster—enriches “Dreaming Out Loud” with the multi-vocal interplay Haynes envisioned when channeling a Sly and the Family Stone–inspired call-and-response approach
Fans and reviewers alike highlighted the record’s thematic resonance—the title evoking both personal reconciliation and the hope for broader social harmony—and praised the band’s ability to integrate guest artists naturally into their sonic universe.
In live performance and on record, Peace…Like a River stands as a testament to Gov’t Mule’s enduring vitality. By recording two stylistically distinct albums side by side, Warren Haynes and his bandmates underscored their refusal to be pigeonholed: one room’s vintage analog tape captured the raw essence of traditional blues, while the neighboring studio’s more modern setup birthed an album characterized by rich production textures, guest collaborations, and genre-spanning ambition. As Gov’t Mule continues to tour behind this release, Peace…Like a River remains a milestone that both honors the band’s roots and points toward new creative horizons.
Brand new, never played and still in the factory plastic sealed
Track Listing
Same As It Ever Was
Shake Our Way Out
Made My Peace
Peace I Need
Your Only Friend
Dreaming Out Loud
Head Full Of Thunder
The River Only Flows One Way
After The Storm
Just Across The River
Long Time Coming
Gone Too Long
