Guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Warren Haynes has the conceptual vision of a group leader and the self-effacing humility of a consummate sideman. These seemingly contradictory qualities enabled Haynes to breath new creative life into one of the most iconic of American musical institutions, the Allman Brothers, while founding a band at the opposite extreme of the rock spectrum, Gov’t Mule. After the death of Mule co-founder Allen Woody, Haynes threw himself into his work, alternating Allman Brothers tours with Gov’t Mule tributes to Woody and an extraordinary turn in Phil Lesh’s post-Grateful Dead band. Through all of this, Haynes’ fans may well have wondered where this chameleon of a talent’s personal identity was hidden.

High & Mighty delivers the answer. With a new Gov’t Mule lineup and enough distance from Woody’s passing to allow the freshest of emotional wounds to heal, Haynes has recorded the closest thing to a Warren Haynes album since his overlooked debut, Tales of Ordinary Madness. “Brand New Angel” and “So Weak, So Strong” epitomize Haynes’ fresh start, the first a hard-driven rocker in which Haynes returns to an old search for that elusive angel of inspiration, the latter an ethereal, Hendrix-like ballad about the delicate balance between perseverance and fragility. Most importantly, Haynes’ strengths as a hard rock singer and guitarist capable of commanding the concert stage are in perfect synch on songs like the ripsaw riffers “Streamline Woman” and “Brighter Days,” the inspirational “Million Miles From Yesterday” and the title track, which sounds like classic Free with one of the best vocals Haynes has ever cut.