Warren Haynes‘ path to his newest album, The Whisper Sessions, was an interesting one.
The former Allman Brothers Band guitarist has made records in a number of ways over the years, including recording two of them simultaneously with Gov’t Mule during the pandemic.
But after he released 2024’s Million Voices Whisper, his first solo album in more than a decade, Haynes was just back in the groove of what he usually does: It was time to talk about the music, play shows and in today’s world, create various content to help promote his latest offerings.
He decided to record and film acoustic versions of a number of songs from the album, including several with his former Allman Brothers Band cohort, Derek Trucks, who had collaborated with him on several tracks on Million Voices Whisper, including “Real, Real Love,” a song that had begun as an idea from Gregg Allman. As the videos began to get out there on social media, they struck a chord with fans. There was an intimacy to the performances and it felt special seeing Haynes and Trucks visually connecting as they played through the songs they’ed previously brought to life together on the album.
READ MORE: How Gregg Allman Helped Influence Warren Haynes’ New Album
How ‘The Whisper Sessions’ Came to Life
As it turns out, Haynes felt that same spirit too. “It started out as filming, as you say, content. We were filming promotional videos of stripped down versions of the songs from Million Voices Whisper,” he shared during an appearance on the UCR Podcast that you can hear below. “We chose a few different locations [to do that]. Most of them were just like setting up in a house somewhere with a small film crew and a small audio team. We did a handful of them at Power Station, which is where the Million Voices Whisper album was recorded.”
“But you know, listening back as we accumulated more and more, it just seemed like these stripped down versions kind of kind of offered some insight into where the songs came from before they were fleshed out and before they were turned into full band extravaganzas, and you use the word intimate, it is a very intimate setting,” he confirms. “It’s kind of like when I do solo performances, which people that have never seen my solo performances don’t really know what to expect. There’s not a lot of virtuoso guitar playing. It’s just me accompanying myself for the most part and playing the song. So the feature is on my voice and the songs themselves. And with the exception of the three songs I did with Derek, that’s kind of what this is.”
Watch Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks Perform ‘These Changes’
He Covers Tammy Wynette and an Allman Brothers Band Classic
In addition to the selection of originals drawn from Million Voices Whisper, Haynes also included a couple of covers, including a well-chosen version of “‘Til I Can Make it on My Own” by Tammy Wynette. “I’ve always loved that song. But I can’t remember the first time I heard it. It just goes way back,” he says “Of course, years went by when I didn’t hear it and didn’t think about it, and then I heard it in passing somewhere probably 15 or 20 years ago, and just reminded myself what a great song it was.”
“Starting about five years ago, I started thinking that I wanted to maybe cover it at some point, but it had only been in my head. I had never sung it,” he shares. “And so when I got to the Power Station that day, I wanted to capture the first time I ever sang that song, which is what that performance is. Actually the only time, because I haven’t done any solo performances since then, which would give me the opportunity to do it live. So that version is the only time I ever sang that song. So there’s a vulnerability in there, which is inherent in the song as well, obviously, and an emotional connection to it anytime you sing something for the first time.”
Watch Warren Haynes Perform Tammy Wynette’s “‘Til I Can Make it on My Own’
As Haynes tells UCR, the version of “Melissa” is one that came about in a casual way. “Derek and I were holed up in a little house with a film crew and a little audio crew to do “These Changes” and “Real, Real Love.” And when we were finished, I think he suggested maybe we should just play a cover or something, just to have something extra,” he remembers. “One of us brought up ‘Melissa,’ and we thought, ‘Well, yeah, let’s do one take of it, and if it’s good, we’ll use it. And if it’s not, we won’t.’
“So we did that one take of ‘Melissa,’ and we didn’t talk about it. We’ve played it enough times to where we didn’t have to think about what was going to happen,” he explains. “We didn’t even think about the solos or anything. You know, at the end of the song, he’s playing a solo. He kind of looks at me, I take over and start playing a solo. That’s something we’ve done hundreds of times before, and it turned out pretty cool. So it’s like, ‘Well, yeah, we should include it.’ It’s got a an intimate vibe about it that captures the moment of us doing one of my all-time favorite Gregg Allman songs, for sure.”
Watch Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks Perform ‘Melissa’
Haynes and Gov’t Mule will perform their fan favorite Halloween run of concerts on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. This year’s installment of Mule-o-Ween will celebrate Aerosmith, an appropriate way to wrap up the band’s current Back in the Saddle tour. It’s also recently been announced that the guitarist’s annual Christmas Jam will return for the first time since 2022.
Listen to Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks on the ‘UCR Podcast’
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Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
