Review by Mario Tarradell
Widespread Panic - Free Somehow
DUES PAID, EFFORTS MADE:
Widespread Panic's status as the grizzled veteran of the post-Grateful Dead jam-band era has been cemented with two decades of rigorous touring. But like its brethren, it tries not to make its studio albums mere incidental blueprints for live shows. That's particularly true of Free Somehow, which features a lot of tracks not yet tested on the road.
A GROOVE WITHOUT A CAUSE:
Because of that, songs such as the brass-enhanced blues of "Up All Night" and the determinedly rolling rock of "Boom Boom Boom" show welcome concision. The band loosens up and shows off solid musicianship on longer numbers, but the more the tunes stretch out, the less purchase there is for John Bell's tough-throated vocals and new guitarist Jimmy Herring's Santana-reminiscent leads. Widespread Panic ends up sounding like not much more than an exceptionally experienced bar band near closing time.
BOTTOM LINE:
Free but unfocused, somehow.
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