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Widespread Panic - Free Somehow
| Pastemagazine |
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Amidst changes, no reason for Widespread to panic With the thunderous opening timpani roll of sun-soaked strut “Boom Boom Boom,” Widespread Panic begins its new album on a familiar—albeit, sonically fresh—foot. Once again calling on former Led Zeppelin/Al Green producer Terry Manning (and once again leaving behind the comfort of hometown Athens, Ga., and longtime producer John Keane for the total immersion of the Bahamas at Nassau’s Compass Point Studios), Panic has made the big-budget, big-production record most bands dream of someday making. With the added force of new textures—strings, bells, horn sections, gospel choirs—Free Somehow frees the band from the constraints of its musical legacy, while also revisiting what made Panic great to begin with: chiefly, its gritty blend of hope and sorrow; of all-night revelry and the somber reality of a Sunday-morning hangover....full text |
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| Austinchronicle |
| Widespread Panic is still best consumed live, where the band's songs can evolve into musical magic. Free Somehow, the Georgia sextet's 10th studio work, once again proves that axiom true. It's certainly their most adventuresome, but overdone production touches from Terry Manning (ZZ Top, Al Green), who brings horns and an orchestra into the mix, blur some material. This may have something to do with most tracks not being road-tested onstage before being recorded. Of the 11 Free tracks, feisty opener "Boom Boom Boom," the cinematic "Her Dance Needs No Body," and Southern soul-fest "Up All Night" seem the most likely to excite in concert. Free Somehow is also the studio debut for near-legendary new guitarist Jimmy Herring, who unfortunately gets little space to shine. That sums up this effort: a lot of promise but a muddled result....full text |
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| Popmasters |
| That Widespread Panic’s most significant musical output has not been in the form of studio albums is not surprising. That Panic in the Streets, a live recording of the band’s 1998 outdoor CD release party in hometown Athens, Georgia, is one of their most popular and well received albums is predictable. The consistent ranking in the annual top 50 grossing touring acts in the last eight years speaks volumes for the relentless touring they have endured since the group’s inception in 1986. In December 2006, Widespread Panic was even recognized for its 15th consecutive sold-out New Year’s Eve concert at Atlanta’s Phillips Arena, a profound number, with a championship-like banner hanging from the 21,000 capacity venue’s rafters. As one of the most vaunted of veteran jam bands, Widespread Panic’s command of the live concert is ontological, and forges dramatic new sounds and variations to an ever-growing repertory. The material recorded in studios is but a snapshot of Panic’s constant musical development. Despite the band’s inclination towards live performances, its newest album, Free Somehow, adds distinctly new material to an already extensive arsenal from which to interpret, improvise, and play with before the faithful followers....full text |
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