Renowned quartet Gov't Mule - led by GRAMMY® Award-winning singer, songwriter, guitar legend and producer Warren Haynes - has announced its first blues album, "Heavy Load Blues," will be released Nov. 12 via Fantasy Records. The album features a balanced mix of Haynes' original compositions and revered cover versions originally made famous by artists such as Howlin' Wolf, Elmore James, Junior Wells, Ann Peebles, Bobby "Blue" Bland and even Tom Waits and the Animals. "For me personally, this had been on my list of things to do for years," Haynes says. "I didn't know if it was going to be a solo album or a Gov't Mule record. We play traditional blues on stage from time to time, and while it's usually never more than a few songs per show, our approach to the blues is unique and based on our shared chemistry as a band." He adds, "This album gave us a mission. Although it was 'anything goes' in a sense, we wanted to stay true to the spirit of the blues in a traditional sense. It's not a blues/rock record - it's a blues record. We wanted it to sound different sonically than a normal Gov't Mule record." Although technically a studio album, "Heavy Load Blues" was recorded live at The Power Station New England studio on analog tape, using vintage guitars, amps and other equipment to capture an authentic sound. The 13-track album was produced by Haynes along with engineer and co-producer John Paterno (Michael Landau, Robbie Williams, The Steve Gadd Band). One of the many standout tracks is the Junior Wells standard "Snatch It Back And Hold It, which allowed the band to freely cover a classic by inserting an impromptu jam called "Hold It Back" in the middle of a soulful, rousing rendition infused with a decidedly funky groove. Though some tracks may sound familiar to blues fans, the band - Haynes, Matt Abts [drums], Danny Louis [keyboards, guitar and backing vocals] and Jorgen Carlsson [bass] - often chose to put their own stamp on them. "I Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody's Home," originally recorded by Ann Peebles, is one of the few songs on the album that the band has previously performed live. In their version, Haynes' nimble guitar riffs are played over a solid foundation of organ and rhythm, resulting in a kind of funk-like finesse. For the Howlin' Wolf song "I Asked Her For Water, She Gave Me Gasoline," Gov't Mule, who are known for shifting parameters while blending a variety of genres - rock, R&B, jam, funk, jazz and practically everything in between - opted for a heavy, fast-paced, funky version that's a far cry from the original.