Heavy Load Blues

Heavy Load Blues the twelfth studio album is by American band Gov't Mule. It was released on November 12, 2021 by Fantasy Records.

Heavy Load Blues was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.

Critical reception
Heavy Load Blues was received with very positive reviews by critics. This release has an score of 84 out of 100 at Metacritic, based on the weighted average of four reviews—ranging from 60 to 90 out of 100—from mainstream publications.

In a review for PopMatters, writer Michael Elliot wrote: "Gov't Mule's first strictly "all-blues" album, Heavy Load Blues, is not-so-strictly that at all, but a soul-baring journey of the blues, mainly through the lens of soul and hard rock, in all its complexity, beauty, darkness, and glory."

In the album's review at AllMusic, Thom Jurek said: "Heavy Load Blues is raw, heavy, and immediate, the sound of a band unfettered while pursuing a deep blue groove that never quits."

Band

 * Warren Haynes – vocals, guitar, producer
 * Matt Abts – drum kit
 * Jorgen Carlsson – bass guitar
 * Danny Louis – keyboards, guitar, backing vocals

Additional musicians

 * Hook Herrera – harmonica (tracks: 1.1, 2.5, 2.8)
 * Jenny Hill – saxophone (tracks: 1.2, 2.2)
 * Buford O'Sullivan – trombone (tracks: 1.2, 2.2)
 * Pam Fleming – trumpet (tracks: 1.2, 2.2)

Technical personnel

 * John Paterno – producer, engineer, mixing
 * Stef Scamardo – executive producer
 * Evan Bakke – assistant engineer
 * Greg Calbi, Steve Fallone – mastering
 * Jorgen Carlsson – remix (tracks: 2.7–8)
 * Jay Sansone, Human Being Media – photography
 * Jeff Anders – painting