Love Like a Mule

Album Review

If a young man had spent his days and nights listening to '60s Bob Dylan and '70s George Thorogood, he might have come up with something like "Alright" on Stoll Vaughan's Love Like a Mule. On Vaughan's gentler songs, like "No Stopping," he reminds one of the Wallflowers. All of these elements come together quite nicely on the easy-rolling "Savior," delivered with an enjoyable mix of acoustic guitars, organ, and drums. Interestingly, Vaughan seems to have also picked up Thorogood's and the elder Dylan's attitudes concerning women, because as pleasant as "Savior" might be, it qualifies as an updated version of "Like a Rolling Stone." The singer swears that he's the "Man That Cares," but one thinks that — if he really loved the object of his affection — he wouldn't have to keep reminding her (love songs are also a hard sell when they follow putdown songs, though even Dylan, a songwriter with much more experience, has never learned this). With Love Like a Mule's onslaught of words, it might have been nice if the listener had been provided with a lyric sheet to look over and study, but at least Vaughan enunciates clearly. Despite the sexism, the music — folk-rock arrangements, Vaughan's vocals, and the songs — rock, and the lyrical missteps probably make Love Like a Mule a perfect fit for neo-classic rock. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., Rovi