widespread panic

Widespread Panic has been on the road for over two decades. Though never reaching the same heights of musical renown as the Grateful Dead or Phish, the Athens, Ga. jam band is supported by throngs of adoring hippies and southern frat stars, consistently selling out stadiums and amphitheaters across the country. Their music is as diversely influenced and realized as their fan base: a solid blues, jazz and rock foundation undergirds some of the more tenuously strung guitar and percussion solos. They even breach the psychedelic at times, but prefer ribs and whiskey to ecstasy and acid.

It is their live music that captivates, and as such, Panic's studio albums are usually judged less critically, with fans considering how good a particular song would sound on stage. With this in mind, the band often tests songs in concert before recording them in the studio. This approach, however, was ostensibly abandoned for Panic's tenth studio album, Free Somehow, a noticeable risk that provides only some reward.

The first song on the album, "Boom Boom Boom," is a bluesy opener that doesn't make much of a statement at all. Another in a line of so-so new Panic songs, don't expect it to get dragged out during a show. The next song, "Walk On the Flood," is, again, just a driving, distorted guitar line that brings nothing new or impressive.

The album really kicks off with the funky shuffling of "Angels on High." Lead singer John Bell finally taps into the guttural and starts singing the way you want to hear him sing, producing what will surely be a live staple. The album culminates with "Up All Night," a rollicking song reminiscent of Warren Zevon or Steve Winwood. It is great concert encore material, with an amazing chorus. Plus, any song that mentions Savannah will get a rise out of Panic fans.

Ultimately, Free Somehow is a worthy effort and well worth a listen. But-most importantly-it provides the groundwork for a couple of compositions that will surely hit their stride out on the road.