Widespread Panic Albums (18)
What The Critics Say
Another Widespread Panic album, another attempt to transfer the band's live energy onto tape. Free Somehow isn't Widespread's best studio effort to date, nor does it pack the same punch as the band's ever-popular concerts, where extended solos and long-running jams are more likely to illicit dropping jaws than drowsy, nodding heads. Still, this disc is nothing to sleep through, even if Widespread Panic haven't learned to utilize a studio's amenities as well as Phish or moe. "Boom Boom Boom," "Walk on the Flood," and "Flicker" are fierce tunes, full of enough guitar muscle and saucy strut to make them worthy of repeated listens, although they do sound geared for a live setting. Free Somehow gets intimate, too, most notably with the lilting title track and the steady, elegiac "Dark Day Program." But Widespread Panic don't truly stretch their wings until the album's final stretch, where "Her Dance Needs No Body" takes the listener on an eight-minute stoner's odyssey of rainy-day guitars, horns, sweeping percussion, and orchestrated strings. It's a well-crafted song with movements, interludes, and multiple guitar solos, a cross between the Grateful Dead's "Dark Star" and Guns N' Roses' "November Rain." Here, the band truly works with the studio's capabilities, layering the standout track with instruments and adding a thick, crisp slab of reverb to John Bell's vocals. So while Free Somehow can't quite rival the energy of a Widespread show, it still offers something that those concerts cannot, making the album a worthwhile purchase for most dedicated fans. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
One thing that can definitively be said about Widespread Panic is that they sound like no one else but themselves, whether they are playing covers live or performing original material. In some ways, that's the worst thing one can say about them as well. On most of their studio recordings, Widespread Panic come off as so utterly unfocused and even generic that whatever killer grooves they lay down get overshadowed by loose jamming to show off their musicianship as individuals. Earth to America, recorded at the famed Compass Point studio in Nassau, is, thankfully, a new stripe. The music here feels meaner, leaner, and more concentrated in relation to songwriting and arrangement. Check out the dark, swirling voodoo groove on the 11-minute opener, "Second Skin." Singer and guitarist John Bell sounds like he means every word that comes out of his mouth. The band staggers the guitars just in front and in back of the beat, laid down tightly by drummer Todd Nance and bassist Dave Schools. Guitarist George McConnell and keyboardist John Hermann create a big, evil sound using very little. The crescendos are terrific, and elevate the tune from its lockstep groove. They dig deep into funk-rock on "Goodpeople." It's an orgy of wah-wah pedals, and percussionist Domingo S. Ortiz's hands are everywhere. Hard rock prevails on "Solid Rock." Ortiz's Afro-Cuban percussion makes "Crazy" into an intricate, slippery, and rocking Anglo-Cuban son. The other really long cut on this set, "You Should Be Glad," is also Latin-flavored, with killer percussion and keyboard breaks and a horn section in the instrumental break. The only times Widespread Panic fail here are on the down-home acoustic numbers that don't ring true and feel like filler. Had "From the Cradle" and "Whiskey and Ribs" been left off, the set would have been ten minutes shorter, but it would have easily been their best studio offering. Thank goodness for remote controls. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Live at Myrtle Beach'
Release Date 2/22/2005
Tracks 11
Label Sanctuary
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What The Critics Say
The members of Widespread Panic seem to have contented themselves with the notion of the band's audience being exactly what it is. Given the records they've issued in the last couple of years, they no longer seem ambitious about growing to reach anyone else. (For one thing, when was the last time the band did a studio recording?) This is too bad, because the world of popular music is almost always one of diminishing returns: if a band has no ambition, many of its own fans will eventually grow tired and look elsewhere for excitement. Live at Myrtle Beach is a rote set by a band that is increasingly becoming rote in its method and expression. If you are a "spreadhead," there may be something here for you in these live versions of songs that have been trotted out before along with a couple of interesting covers -- most notably "Dirty Business," originally done by the New Riders of the Purple Sage. The other cover is Robert Johnson's "Stop Breakin' Down Blues," which is workmanlike and doesn't get to the heights it could on a more inspired set. Ultimately, this is exactly what you'd expect, two discs of Widespread Panic live, doing just what they do without really reaching for more. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
For over a decade now, Widespread Panic have been hosting wild Halloween gigs in Georgia. Always a treasured part of these shows is the band's choice of cover material. Jackassolantern is a collection of covers from the various Halloween performances over the years. Over half the material here features the late Michael Houser on guitar and vocals; the rest stars George McConnell in the same capacity. The set kicks off with a raucous, woolly read of the Black Sabbath behemoth "Sweet Leaf." While this version lacks the sheer dark thud of the original, it's nonetheless a more than credible garage take on the track. Likewise, "Sympathy for the Devil" comes off more as an homage than an attempt to interpret the Jagger/Richards original. It smokes. Other standouts include a rollicking blues-funk workout of the Doors' "Peace Frog/Blue Sunday." And a deeply textured, sprawling spooky garage read of War's "Slipping into Darkness" takes over three minutes to get rolling, but once it does, it just takes off. Spreadheads will be familiar with the cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Wind Cries Mary" that's here, and to be honest, it's a generic take. The Temptations' classic "Ball of Confusion" is the hinge of the disc. Almost 17 minutes long, it features guest appearances by saxophonist Randall Bramblett and the entire Dirty Dozen Brass Band strutting deep into psychedelic funk. The album closes with a bucked-up, raw cover of Blue Öyster Cult's "Godzilla." Although audience tapes might be the best souvenirs of the band's shows for true Panic fans, Spreadheads might have to have Jackassolantern as a recorded document of what they've heard live. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
'Spreadheads should be delighted by this anomaly in Widespread Panic's catalog. Recorded live in Myrtle Beach in November of 2003, Über Cobra is the first set of the concert, and is now an "acoustic" album by the Southern jam rockers. The reason the word is in quotes is because the organ is still used and it's electric as hell, and John Keane, the band's producer, plays pedal steel on four tracks. That said, this is one of the most cohesive live dates the band has ever recorded. Full of the space and texture that only acoustic instruments can provide, the playing is tight and inspired. The flowing nature of the band's sound -- instantly recognizable even without electricity -- lends itself well to the relaxed, "unplugged" atmosphere. The effect of this set is anything but back-porch laid-back. The music is high quality, full of crackling energy and gorgeous dynamics. What's most revealing here is just how great a singer John Bell is. On the band's other live outings, he is forced to growl into the maelstrom of swirling instruments. Here, the subtle nuances in his voice are exposed up front and extend the musicality of the proceedings. The track selection is wonderful, too, including originals like "Wonderin'" and "Nobody's Loss," with Keane's sweet, loping steel in the background. And as satisfying as these and other tracks are, it is in the covers that Widespread Panic reveals its true strength as a band. Revisiting the Talking Heads song catalog, the band delivers a gorgeous extended version of David Byrne's "City of Dreams" that captures the dreaminess of the original and adds an authentic kind of rural Southern soul. The read of Willis Alan Ramsey's "Geraldine & the Honey Bee" offers a wonderful tension between the relaxed honky tonk stroll of the original and Bell's country blues vocal. Likewise, Vic Chesnutt's "Expiration Day" is a tender, deeply moving ballad that literally drips with emotion. "Mercy" rollicks like the road tune it is, strutting its minor-key rambling acoustic rock into snarling intensity. And just before the closer, Widespread Panic trots out its reverent yet trademarked take on Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home," all the more poignant because of its hushed volume. Bell's voice wrenches all the desolate anguish out of Stevie Winwood's lyric as the hand percussion and guitars and organ slip around him like a well-worked glove. "Papa Johnny Road" closes the set, with George McConnell's killer sharp National Steel licks filling the verses and underscoring the vocal lines. This is one of the Panic's very best live recordings not only because of its eclectic presentation, which is part of the draw, but also because this band plays so exceptionally well in this setting -- it would be a delight for a studio album to be done this way as well. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Recorded live at the House of Blues in South Carolina, this Widespread Panic date featured the addition of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band playing alongside them. It makes for an entirely different 'spread show to be sure. While the insanely long sprawling jams are all but absent here -- only on the final cut, "Rebirtha," do we get anything over 15 minutes, everything else is ten or under -- in place of that are tight, raucous, funky, gritty rock & roll tunes that traverse the worlds of R&B, Latin, and jazz, along with hard-spun, gritty Southern rock. From the opening sequences in "Thought Sausage," the multi-valent percussion drives the band down into itself to concentrate on the tighter grooves rather than the more spacious ones. The New Orleans backbeat in the band's cover of "Use Me," by Bill Withers moves the tune into a whole other sphere. The Dozens punch up the bassline and strut it out more. The only drawback is that John Bell seems unsure of how to deliver the lyric with this new wash of sound behind him. Likewise, "Bayou Lena," feels a bit stilted -- while the horns are free and easy and add a ton of life to the tune's atmosphere, the Panics seem unwilling to pull out all the stops. But these are minor complaints. Tracks like "Bust It Big," and "Old Neighborhood," and the wailing trance-out soul grit in "Arleen" more than make up for it. And of course the diehards get the acid groove beauty of "Rebirtha" to tide them over until the next multi-disc live set comes along. This is an experiment to be sure, but one that works well for the most part. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Live from the Backyard in Austin, TX'
Release Date 10/7/2003
Tracks 20
Label Sanctuary
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What The Critics Say
Politics aside -- this is the first-ever Widespread Panic record that hasn't had numerous versions of tracks available on the Internet; the band kept it under wraps until release time -- this is the most ambitious and refined album the band has ever issued. Widespread Panic is the only band from the whole jam scene that emerged from the south and the oft-spouted Allman Brothers' font of inspiration who remains interesting. Over the course of eight studio albums and three live outings, Widespread Panic has mutated into a unit who can make harmonic -- and even hooky -- sense of virtually any scrap of a musical idea. Ball is a refinement of the ambition of Don't Tell the Band. While that record featured exercises in everything from blues to Latin and fusion, Ball centers itself on solid rock & roll of varying textures and approaches. What it means is that for the first time since their self-titled second album, the band has hunkered down and practiced the craft of tight, well-scripted, rock-conscious songwriting. What's more, with the aid of producer John Keane, they execute the fruits of their labor with aplomb, grace, and elegance. There's the pastoral backyard view into the world of "Counting Train Cars" with whining, shimmering pedal steel and a high, lonesome harmonica, with frontman John Bell offering the lyrics as if he's in the middle of them, not projecting them. This is the kind of song the Counting Crows wish they could write, and that R.E.M. tried -- and failed -- to do for literally decades. Think of the Band if they were really from the south and had Dickey Betts and Sneaky Pete Kleinow. In addition, there's the bluesy, southern-fried rock of "Papa Johnny Road," with slithering guitars and a funky bassline accented by popping, single-string fills from a clawhammer banjo; here one can hear a trace of the Allmans, especially in Bell's delivery and the behind-the-beat twinned guitars. Elsewhere, the Richard Thompson-influenced guitar stylings of George McConnell's acoustic create a taut line crossed with Bell's near-British folk-styled vocal; while McConnell can re-create the beautiful octave drones and double-string runs of Thompson, Bell's singing is purely American, though he's going for Nick Drake or even early John Martyn; it's a striking, simple, and beautifully wrought song. There are also knotty, multi-faceted tunes that the Panics are (in)famous for, like the wondrously psychedelic "Meeting of the Waters" or the balls-out rocker "Nebulous," which cuts to the chase with John Herman's organ driving the entire engine. The record closes on a pair of contrasting tunes: the jazzy, almost loungy "Time Waits," haunted by Herman's B3 floating through the guitars and rhythms, and the near-anthemic stoner road song "Travelin' Man." No, we're not talking about a cover of the Ricky Nelson song; this is pure hippie-dream theory: "Been feelin' alright, for a coupla days/Either in a fog, or a sunny haze." Ringing, jangling guitars buoy Bell as he states his intention to live without purpose or destination. The killer flatpicking solo by McConnell in the bridge makes Bell's strident electric rhythm guitar seem more open, wide into the panorama that is the emptiness of all dreamers, where everything is connected. It's a very fine, laid-back rocker that carries out Ball on an up-note. Despite the fact that this is Widespread's "tightest" and most glossy record, it doesn't divulge its secrets easily. It needs repeated listenings to take it all in, and once that happens, it becomes an indispensable addition to their catalog. (Hint: Don't yank it out of the CD player right away when that last track ends.)~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Live in the Classic City'
Release Date 6/11/2002
Tracks 27
Label Sanctuary
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What The Critics Say
That a quarter of the songs on this generous three-CD live set stretch beyond the ten-minute mark goes a long way toward explaining why Widespread Panic continues to be such a popular draw on the jam band circuit. Playing before an enthusiastic hometown Athens, GA, crowd, the band combines exploratory jamming and muscular riffing in just about equal measures. The result will probably still test the patience of the uninitiated, but a varied set list mixing up crowd favorites and worthy cover tunes (NRBQ and Col. Bruce Hampton among them) keeps things from becoming too redundant. Guests joining the band on stage include slide-guitar wunderkind Derek Trucks, the aforementioned Col. Bruce Hampton, and former R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry. Perhaps not so surprisingly, the best performances are of songs from the band's best studio albums to date, 1999's 'Til the Medicine Takes and 1988's debut, Space Wrangler. But as the band's fans will be quick to tell you, these guys have always been better on stage than in the studio. Live in the Classic City certainly bears that out, surpassing even the band's previous live releases, 1998's Light Fuse, Get Away and 2000's Another Joyous Occasion. ~ Brian Beatty, All Music Guide
'Don't Tell the Band'
Release Date 6/19/2001
Tracks 12
Label Sanctuary
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What The Critics Say
As the years roll by, Widespread Panic refine their artistry impervious to trend or fashion. On their seventh album, the veteran ensemble settles into a groove within the first few seconds and never lets up through 12 tracks that burn with roots rock, Latin, jazz fusion, grunge, melodic folk, and soul. Displaying more polish than previous releases, each musician shines on this collection that gives fans what they come to expect from one of the best jam bands to emerge after the demise of the Grateful Dead and the decline of the Allman Brothers Band. Up in the mix from start to finish, Dave Schools' irresistibly funky bass anchors "Big Wooly Mammoth" and "Imitation Leather Shoes" with staccato figures and crispy riffs. John Herman and Michael Houser solo with the delicate urgency of Bill Evans and Carlos Santana, respectively, especially on the opening cut, "Little Lilly." Domingo Ortiz and Todd Nance propel the tunes with polyrhythms and multiple percussive textures that subtly embellish each melody and chord change. Vocalist John Bell croons, growls, and raps while waxing poetic about personal relationships and astute observations of the world around him. The hooks on "Sometimes" recall the tunefulness of 1970s AM radio, while the country-blues of "Old Joe," the title track, and "Down" slip on like a comfortable pair of old cowboy boots. The members of Widespread Panic are pros and they reap the benefits of longevity with a jewel of an album. ~ Tom Semioli, All Music Guide
