Grammy Award-winning vocalist, songwriter, guitar legend Gov’t Mule front man WARREN HAYNES is releasing ”The Whisper Sessions”, a collection of stripped-down versions of songs off his recent solo album, Million Voices Whisper. The album – which includes a stunning version of the Allman Brothers Band classic “Melissa” with Haynes’ longtime ABB bandmate Derek Trucks, who is featured on three songs – will be released on Friday, September 12th via Fantasy Records.
The intimate renditions peel back the layers to spotlight Haynes’ soulful voice, masterful guitar work, and the heartfelt storytelling at the album’s core. Here are two undeniable facts: first, the hallmark of traditional blues music is its emotional component. Sometimes it’s gut-wrenching; sometimes joyful, but there, at its core, is that strong connection to the human experience. Secondly, whenever Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks team up, the results are superb.
With ”The Whisper Sessions”, Warren Haynes has created a modern masterpiece of deeply emotional, acoustic, and simple electric blues. Modern blues often strays away from that, and rightly so. Any genre should be dynamic, living, breathing and ever-changing.
But the music on this offering should not be confined to any one genre. It should be in the collection of any music-lover who spends time in deep introspection or who appreciates moments of solitude.
Produced by Haynes, the album is described as “Intimate renditions that spotlight Haynes’s soulful voice, masterful guitar work, and the heartfelt storytelling at the album’s core.”
The hint of grit in Haynes’s voice punctuates the deep emotion of the beautiful melodies. Friend, and frequent collaborator Derek Trucks sits in on three cuts of the album, adding some elegant depth to the guitar work.
From beginning to end, the album is drenched in quiet, soul-searching beauty.
“These Changes” puts a gentle spin on troubles we all face. Written by Haynes, Trucks and Michael A. Mattison, it features the two guitar masters trading licks on their respective Gibsons; Haynes with his signature Les Paul and Trucks with his classic SG. The stripped-down duet achieves an intimate acoustic foundation for Haynes’s vocals.
One special feature of the album is “Real, Real Love,” co-written by Haynes and Gregg Allman. Haynes explained that Allman had started the song before he passed away and he felt strongly that it needed to be completed. Trucks agreed, saying, “It felt like something you just had to finish.”
Another track co-written by Haynes and Trucks, “Back Where I Started,” features a catchy refrain expressing a hushed joy. “Til The Sun Comes Shining Through” and “From Here On Out” offer personal tales of love and life’s struggles. The latter was written solely by Haynes as was “You Ain’t Above Me,” a soulful blues-soaked ballad focusing on a declaration of self-worth. Haynes also penned “Life As We Know It” as a joyful, affirming celebration of life.
One of two covers on the album is “Til I can make it on my own,” written by George Richey, Billy Sherrill, and Tammy Wynette. Haynes’s voice immediately draws the listener into a powerful emotional appeal to his arrangement.
The album concludes with a beautiful version of the Allman Brothers Classic, “Melissa,” written by Greg Allman. Trucks’s guitar adds an underlying, simple brilliance to Haynes’s vocal and guitar contributions. The song was recorded in just one take.
It doesn’t matter which Rock genre you prefer the most. You’ll love and enjoy ”The Whisper Sessions”. This is real music, performed from the heart. And in these stripped takes, it’s amazing to hear the terrific singer Warren is.
Highly Recommended
1. Back Where I Started (04:22)
2. Till The Sun Comes Shining Through (05:08)
3. From Here On Out (04:26)
4. ‘Til I Can Make It On My Own (03:28)
5. You Ain’t Above Me (03:38)
6. This Life As We Know It (04:04)
7. Real, Real Love (05:32)
8. These Changes (06:29)
9. Melissa (05:36)
Warren Haynes – The Whisper Sessions (2025) , MP3+FLAC
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