The Kenny Wayne
Shepherd Band
How I Go
Roadrunner Records
Some Kenny Wayne Shepherd fans have been waiting for this
album since the ’90s. That’s when he stormed out of the gate with
three platinum-selling albums of guitar-driven blues and blues-rock
that went to No. 1 on
Billboard’s Blues chart and produced a half-dozen
Top 10 hits on the mainstream rock chart. That’s not to say
that his material from the last few years wasn’t fantastic. But last
year’s offering,
Live! in Chicago, was a live album and 2007’s stellar
10 Days Out (Blues from the Backroads) was more of an exploration
of traditional blues. And his 2004 album
The Place You’re In rocked
a bit harder than most fans were expecting. So, really, he hasn’t
done a studio album in this vein since 1999’s
Live On.
The new album’s lead single, “Never Lookin’ Back,” sets the
tone for the record by drawing on the mojo from his early material—
but you’ll notice there’s a playful irony at work as Shepherd
also looks back, musically, at other great artists from the past:
Its opening riffs are an obvious homage to Keef, the driving
rhythm pays respect to Billy Gibbons, and the nods to Stevie
Ray Vaughan are plentiful, including a few quoted licks from
“Tightrope.” Guitarists will enjoy Shepherd’s carefully crafted
formula of showing his reverence for the great players and styles
that came before him while also employing the approach that
put him on the map. His cover of the Beatles’ “Yer Blues” puts
to good use the woodshedding he did to pay homage to Jimi on
the most recent Experience Hendrix tour. It fuses “Hey Joe”-ish
elements with the “When the Levee Breaks”-type groove that
undergirds some of his best soloing on the album. His supercharged
tone on that track is to die for.
Songs like “Cold” and “Show Me the
Way Back Home” showcase Shepherd’s
ability to craft radio-ready songs that
can reach audiences beyond guitarnutdome.
That’s no easy feat—especially
now. Despite our love of the instrument,
it’s a sad fact that very few guitarcentric
songs end up in heavy rotation
on contemporary radio these days. But
just as Shepherd earned scores of fans via radio with hits like “Blue
on Black” and “In 2 Deep” back in the day, a number of well-crafted
cuts on this album seem destined to do the same. In fact, this album
is Shepherd’s strongest effort as a songwriter. Many people think of
him as a great guitar talent, but his penchant for finding the right
balance of lyrical and musical hooks is just as impressive.
Fans of Shepherd’s straight-blues side have plenty to sink their
teeth into with
How I Go, too. Highlights include his Texas-shuffle
treatment on Bessie Smith’s “Backwater Blues,” a funky,
wah-fueled rendition of “Oh, Pretty Woman” (Albert King’s
version, which was written by A.C. Williams, not the identically
titled song by Roy Orbison), and a hard-driving, horn-heavy
number called “Dark Side of Love.”
Shepherd made waves at an early age and is still subjected to
endless references about being a young player, despite having
toured for nearly 20 years. But the 34-year-old’s maturity is notable
on this record. He chooses his notes more carefully. His use
of space stands out. His soaring bends are fewer in number but
have twice the impact. The craftsmanship of each song’s components
on this album—the heads, rhythm parts, turnaround riffs,
bridge rhythms, etc.—reflects the work of a musician who is
really thinking everything through in order to serve each song.
The net effect of this kind of talent and effort—not to mention
the tremendous abilities exhibited by KWSB vocalist Noah Hunt,
drummer Chris Layton, and the rest of the band—is a soulful
experience that covers a lot of ground. This album is very much
worth the wait.