Kenny Wayne Shepherd
The Place You’re In
Reprise Records
www.kennywayneshepherd.net

11 tracks/42:09

Kenny Wayne Shepherds’ five year recording hiatus is finally over. Older, wiser and more mature now, he has delivered a fine rock guitar album than is somewhat more detached from his blues roots than I expected. The album is predominantly written by Shepherd and most of the vocal work is now done by him, too. The guitar riffs are more professional and controlled than his first three albums, but while controlled the axe is also more beefy and muscular. His riffs sound like a lot of the classic rock riffs of the past 40 years but they are nicely packaged. If you like rock guitar albums, then this will be right up your alley. I enjoyed it but was surprised that it was almost completely done in a mainstream rock style and not really a blues album, which disappointed me some. Let’s briefly look at each of the tunes from start to finish…

The album begins with a tune called “Alive.” Kenny sings on the track, which was a big change for me since I was used to Noah Hunts gritty vocals. But Kenny’s come a long way and both his singing and guitar work are nicely done. This is a song about love and relationships with women as are many of the tracks on this album. The lyrics are sometimes a bit weak but the classic guitar work salvages this song and most songs. “Be Mine” is his next cut. Big, driving guitar riffs a la his boyhood hero Stevie Ray Vaughn abound here. Kenny again sings, but his guitar work is the key to this piece.

Third up is a tune called “Spank.” Guest vocalist Kid Rock joins Kenny singing this one. It is the most pop-like of the heavy guitar based tunes, and I am sure Kid is there to help Kenny sell a few more albums. But Kenny’s guitar come through and makes this one for me despite the poor lyrics. “Let Go” is more restrained all around. Hunt is backing Kenny up on the vocals. This sounds more like the driving ballads of some of his earlier albums.

Kenny’s vocals on “Ain’t Selling Out” are pretty weak but the driving guitar and drum beat get your foot tapping. I thought I was back in the 60’s with the song’s intro. The tune is very retro but a little weak overall. Noah Hunt sings on the next track, “Believe.” This is a big, ballady rock song that features Kenny on both electric and acoustic guitar. The acoustic intro mix reminds me of the music from some of the well-sound tracked 1960’s westerns. Hunt’s vocals are still head and shoulders better than Shepherds in my mind, but Kenny’s guitar work is great.

The title track is next. Shepherd sings lead here and the sound is more gutsy and direct. He gives us more of a view here of what he can do vocally. On “Hey What Do You Say” Kenny’s vocal work is also more passable. This is a slower song reminiscent of earlier Zeppelin ballads with big guitar riffs between the verses. The background vocals featuring band members and Stephanie Sprull give the background sound a more spiritual uplifting.

“Get it Together” has Kenny getting more gritty again. The guitar and vocals are both more earthy. But as in some other songs, the vocals seem to get less emphasis in the mix as the song progresses. Noah Hunt gets to lead the singing on “Burdens.” He seems more at ease with the lyrics and can take the weakly written material and deliver on it better than Shepherd can. The song again reminds me of late 70’s/early 80’s rock.

The album closes with an instrumental called “A Little Bit More.” Shepherd’s stinging guitar pierces the driving beat and caps off the album nicely.

If you like big rock guitar albums, this CD will please you. Shepherd must have been weaned on old rock bands like Journey, Traffic and Led Zeppelin because his guitar work is a blend of the old flavors from many of their albums. Kenny’s becoming a better master chef because he has blended many nuances of guitar work into this album. The lack of any truly blues song will disappoint some, but Kenny’s overall musical growth is apparent. Let’s hope it does not take him five more years to release another album.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd The Place You’re In Reprise Records www.kennywayneshepherd.net

Kenny Wayne Shepherd
The Place You’re In
Reprise Records
www.kennywayneshepherd.net