Warren Haynes' Soul Side: A Review of His 2011 Grammy-Nominated Album Man in Motion

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           What do you get when you mix WarrenHaynes, the Allman Brothers Band, The Meters, William Bell and Booker T.Jones?.... If you guessed Warren Haynes' 2011 album Man in Motion, youare correct.

George Porter Jr, Playing with the Meters

            Inhis new solo album, he collaborates with the great George Porter Jr. , who'sbest known for his tenure with one of the greatest funk bands of all time, TheMeters. The album has a wide array of influences ranging from The Meters to theAllman Brothers to Southern soul.      Deservinglynominated for the 2012 Best Blues Album Grammy, Haynes faced faced stiffcompetition from his band mates. Greg Allman was nominated for Low CountryBlues and Derek Trucks for the Tedeschi Trucks Band's Revelator. AlthoughTrucks and his wife won, the Allmans took a different prize, winning a LifetimeAchievement Grammy.
            AfterPorter's downbeat bass intro on the title track, you can hear Hayne's heavyvoice. “Yeah. Still life is overrated. Burn-out factor is a part of the game.Life should be an adventure. Anything else is a crying shame.” The title itsself is fitting. The man who doubles on vocals andguitar with the Allmans, plays guitar with Gov’t Mule and the Dead, and leadshis self-titled band, is a “man in motion” indeed. The man who tradeshats as vocalist and Trucks' dueling guitarist partner in the Allman Brothers,guitarist in Gov't Mule and The Dead, and leader of Warren Haynes Band, is a“man in motion”himself.             Peoplehave criticized the Allmans recently for playing too many covers. In contrast,Hayne's Man in Motion has only one, Bell and Jones' “Everyday Will BeLike a Holiday.” In this slower paced song, you can hear Haynes' Southern soulvibe.             Haynesportrays his 'Allman blood' in the winding  riffs of “Your Wildest Dreams.” It may as wellbe a sequel to the Allman Brothers hit “Soulshine.”             Forthe funky bunch, there's the choppy rhythmed “Sick of My Shadow.” The veteranRon Holloway's saxophone syncs in perfectly with the steady bass line.             Haynesends matters with “Save Me.” “If I needed strength to carry on/ And feelingyour touch, oh it was the only way/ Would you be here today/ To find a way tosave me?” One can only think of Clapton's “Give Me Strength.”             There'ssomething for everybody. As the rock critic Jason Shadrick says, “Haynesstrikes a balance between great songs, some guitar pyrotechnics.... If the Muleis too heavy for you and the extended jams of the Allman Brothers isn't yourbag, Man in Motion gives you the best of both worlds while not skimpingout on soul or musical vibe.”