Warren Haynes might be the hardest working man in show business. In addition to leading his band Gov't Mule, he also plays with the Allman Brothers Band and has played with The Grateful Dead. He's hosted the annual Christmas Jam in his hometown of Asheville, NC., every year for the last 22 years and has now released his third solo album, “Man In Motion.”

Stepping away from the heavy sounds of Mule and the southern flavor of the Allmans, “Man In Motion” is a soul album, driven by vocals more than his guitar. Appropriately released on the Stax label, which gave us Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Eddie Floyd, Booker T and the MG's, and many more soul giants, Haynes' new album fits right in with the catalog.

Recruiting bassist George Porter, Jr., of The Meters, Ivan Neville (keyboards) and Raymond Weber (drums) of Dumpstaphunk, Ian McLagan (keyboards) of Faces as well as tenor saxman Ron Holloway and singer Ruthie Foster, Haynes has put together a dream band of epic proportions to realize the feel he envisioned for the album. Recording the album live in the studio with minimal overdubs, it captures the sound and feel of a late '60s Stax soul record. Haynes even switched from his characteristic Gibson Les Paul guitar to using Gibson hollow-bodied ES-335s and ES-345s, and even an archtop hollow-body D'Angelico on one tune in order to achieve the sound for which he was striving. Though the album is vocally driven, there are plenty of guitar pyrotechnics here to satisfy the fans of Haynes' remarkable guitar work, as all of the songs clock in at over five minutes with an extended instrumental break in each.

Once again, Warren Haynes shows the world that, in addition to being one of the finest guitarists in the known universe, he's also a great singer and songwriter, and one of the leading musicians of the 21st Century.

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