CD Review: Widespread Panic
By Susan Pugh on Feb. 21, 2008
The Hartford Courant
“Free Somehow” is the 10th studio recording from improvisational rockers Widespread Panic, though it’s the first to feature songs written with guitarist Jimmy Herring. Herring took over when George McConnell - himself a replacement for founding member Michael Houser, who lost his life to pancreatic cancer in 2002 -abruptly left the band in 2006. It’s the second album produced by Terry Manning after recording almost exclusively with John Keane the band’s entire career.
It’s important to note these changes, because each has had a pronounced effect on the band’s sound. Herring brings a fluid style of play absent in performance and in studio recordings since Houser’s passing. Manning adds a dense rock aesthetic, which the band has lacked, resulting in tracks such as the fast-paced, thunderous opener, “Boom, Boom, Boom,” and “Wake of the Flood,” the heaviest song the band has written (both lyrically and musically) in its 22-year history. Herring’s presence is heard on sinewy, atmospheric songs such as “Three Candles,” the acoustic, string laden “Her Dance Needs No Body” and the elegant country of the title track.
Although “Free Somehow” doesn’t reach the energy level of Widespread Panic’s best live performances, with Herring in place, the band has certainly rediscovered its musical roots.
ARTIST: Widespread Panic
CD: Free Somehow
LABEL: Widespread Records
REVIEWER RATING: 3 out of 5
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