Renowned Grammy-nominated band, Gov’t Mule, has announced their new studio album, Peace...Like A River, will be released this summer and has shared the first single, "Dreaming Out Loud", featuring Ivan Neville and Ruthie Foster.
For the stirring new song, Grammy Award-winning vocalist, songwriter, guitar legend, and producer, Warren Haynes, wove together inspirational quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Robert and John Kennedy, and the late civil rights leader and U.S. Representative, John Lewis. Lsten to Dreaming Out Loud here, and watch a visualizer below.
Peace...Like A River, the band’s 12th studio album and follow-up to their chart-topping, Grammy-nominated blues album, Heavy Load Blues, will be released on June 16 via Fantasy Records. The 12-song rock collection also features guest appearances from Billy Bob Thornton, Celisse, and Billy F Gibbons, the latter of whom performed with Haynes this past Sunday night at the CMT Music Awards for an incredible tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Peace...Like A River is available to pre-order and pre-save on DSPs here. Each digital pre-save will include an instant download of Dreaming Out Loud. In addition, the Peace...Like A River Deluxe Edition (available on CD only) includes the original 12-track album plus the special five-track Time Of The Signs Bonus EP, which features four brand-new, unreleased tracks and an alternate version of the album track, The River Only Flows One Way, with Warren taking lead vocals. Watch a "making of" album trailer below.
“Peace...Like A River is very ambitious from a musical arrangement standpoint in the way that a lot of the songs take twists and turns that is not common in today’s pop music world,” shared Haynes. “At the same time, it’s very much a song record and covers a lot of ground, stylistically speaking. Song for song maybe my favorite one.”
The tracks on Peace...Like A River explore the many sides of Gov’t Mule and bring together all the qualities that have earned the four-piece – Haynes [guitar, vocals], Matt Abts [drums], Danny Louis [keyboards, guitar, and backing vocals], and Jorgen Carlsson [bass] – the beloved stature they enjoy today. Concise songcraft coexists seamlessly with the band’s trademark instrumental journeys. Songs longer than pop convention are somehow still compact: they’re explorative but never meandering; the tunes are at once both wide-ranging and tightly focused. Thematically, the new album explores the seismic changes the world has gone through over the past few years. Influenced both in his songwriting and playing by what Haynes calls “the golden era of rock, soul, jazz and blues,” Gov’t Mule combines the best and most enduring qualities from all those musical strains to create a timeless piece of art on Peace...Like A River that could have easily been released during rock ‘n roll’s classic 70s classic.
Peace...Like A River was recorded during the same sessions as Heavy Load Blues at The Power Station New England with co-producer, John Paterno (Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos), alongside Haynes. The albums, however, were created in different rooms, with no shared gear or instruments, keeping the two concurrent projects with their own unique identity and character.
One distinguishing difference on Peace...Like A River is the presence of talented friends in important guest roles. Billy F Gibbons’ trademark vocals underscore the tasty ZZ Top textures that inform the humour-infused, Shake Our Way Out, while Billy Bob Thornton adds his distinctive vocals to The River Only Flows One Way. For introductory track, Dreaming Out Loud, Haynes wanted a Sly and the Family Stone vocal style where different singers take different sections of the song, so he called upon previous collaborators blues great Ruthie Foster, whose backing vocals graced Mule’s 2006 album High & Mighty, and longtime friend, New Orleans soul legend, Ivan Neville. Lastly, rising soul artist Celisse adds her incredible vocals to Just Across The River.
Peace...Like A River tracklisting:
"Same As It Ever Was"
"Shake Our Way Out" (ft. Billy Gibbons)
"Made My Peace"
"Peace I Need"
"Your Only Friend"
"Dreaming Out Loud" (ft. Ivan Neville and Ruthie Foster)
"Head Full Of Thunder"
"The River Only Flows One Way" (ft. Billy Bob Thornton)
"After The Storm"
"Just Across The River" (ft. Celisse Henderson)
"Long Time Coming"
"Gone Too Long "
Deluxe Edition (CD only) - Time Of The Signs EP tracklisting:
"Stumblebum"
"Under The Tent"
"Time Stands Still"
"Blue, Blue Wind"
"The River Only Flows One Way" (WH vocals)
"Dreaming Out Loud" visualizer:
Trailer:
Tour dates:
May
5 - New Orleans, LA - Orpheum Theater ^
6 - Memphis, TN - Beale Street Music Festival ~
7 - Evansville, IN - Victory Theatre
9 - Cleveland, OH - TempleLive Cleveland
11 - Ashland, KY - Paramount Arts Center
12 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
14 - Birmingham, AL - Avondale Brewing Company
16 - Macon, GA - Macon City Auditorium
18 - Augusta, GA - Miller Theater
19 - Asheville, NC - Salvage Station - Outdoor Stage
20 - Asheville, NC - Salvage Station - Outdoor Stage
July
22 - Atlantic City, NJ - Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena *#
23 - Patchogue, NY - Great South Bay Music Festival ~*
August
2 - Clarkston, MI - Pine Knob Music Theatre *
3 - Noblesville, IN - Ruoff Music Center *
4 - Tinley Park, IL - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre *
7 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre *
9 - Dallas, TX - Dos Equis Pavilion *
11 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion *
12 - Atlanta, GA - Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park *
15 - Bridgeport, CT - Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater *
17 - Gilford, NH - Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion *
18 - Boston, MA - Leader Bank Pavilion *
19 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center *
December
29 - Philadelphia, PA - The Met
30 - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre
31 - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre
* Dark Side Of The Mule dates
^ with special guests George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners
~ festival appearance
# non-Live Nation date
(Photo - Shervin Lainez)
