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Make a brew. Stick on Myles Kennedy’s new album ‘The Art Of Letting Go’ and crank the volume up. Take a sip of said brew just as the opening track (and title track) explodes to life, spit said brew out all over the computer screen. Dayum! This one slaps and slaps hard.
Kennedy’s 2018 debut ‘Year of The Tiger’ was a wonderfully introspective and deeply personal album that is still a benchmark today for all well-known frontmen thinking of dipping their toes into the murky waters of that debut solo album; while 2021’s sophomore album ‘The Ides Of March’ was more plugged-in, varied, and ebbed and flowed like the ocean. Solo album number three provides clues with the album title; it’s Kennedy letting go; it’s a ROCK album, and the result is staggering. And loud. Very loud.
Helping Kennedy put the power in power trio are Zia Uddin (drums), and Tim Tournier (bass), and like all good power trios they set out to make such a glorious noise that the listener will be peaking behind the curtain to look for additional players. With Kennedy in fine six-string form, no additional players are required though, he is holding his guitar in the promo pic for a reason.
With fiery Joe Perry-esque groovy guitar licks (‘Pump’-era Perry), thunderous drums, and multiple raise-your-hands-in-the-air exclamations of “Hey! Hey! Hey!” Kennedy’s outing number three sans Alter Bridge or Slash gets off to an incredible start with the bull-out-of-the-gate tempo of the title track. Instantly easy on the ear thanks to the always-stellar production of Michael “Elvis” Baskette, it is a ballsy way to make a statement, and surely it must open the forthcoming live shows? Rock music at its most potent, and with shades of Aerosmith, Montrose, and Van Halen here and there it is a muscular, classic American Rock song.
‘Say What You Will’ immediately follows on and like the title track, it packs some weight; Uddin hits those skins with power. This one is all about Myles Kennedy the guitar player rather than Myles Kennedy the possesser of a set of pipes handed down from Mount Olympus (as is also the case on the brooding ‘Behind The Veil’, and ‘Saving Face’ which Slash must have been pissed that MK never kept for the next Conspirators album). The general feel of ‘Say What You Will’ (and the entire album for that matter) is one of it all being cooked up on the spot with all three players in the same room at the same time. With a few odd time signatures in the middle, the towering ‘Mr. Downside’ brings a modern, progressive edge to the party, and in all honesty, it’s easy to imagine these three songs opening the live shows.
‘Miss You When You’re Gone’ is something special. Open to interpretation, put three people in a line and they will all come up with a different meaning to this one. And that is a great thing for a songwriter to achieve. Ultra-catchy and, to an extent, light and hopeful, it paints a different picture to Alter Bridge’s fan favourite memorial piece ‘In Loving Memory’, and the accompanying promo video (above) is perfect to the vibe that Kennedy has created. Another few special moments would be ‘Eternal Lullaby’ – a ballad that succeeds in what a great ballad is supposed to do: make the mind of the listener drift back to a safe place in their subconscious, and the sharp, powerful riffing on ‘Dead To Rights’.
Has Myles Kennedy just created the best album of his illustrious career since Alter Bridge released ‘AB III’ back in 2010? Yes. Yes, he has.
‘The Art Of Letting Go’ is available October 11th via Napalm Records, more information HERE.
Review – Dave
Portrait photo credit – Chuck Brueckmann
Live photo credit – Callum Scott
Myles Kennedy The Art Of Letting Go Tour 2024
Sunday, October 27, 2024 – Hamburg, DE – Gruenspan ^
Monday, October 28, 2024 – Copenhagen, DK – Pumpehuset ^
Wednesday, October 30, 2024 – Gothenburg, SE – Valand ^
Friday, November 1, 2024 – Stockholm. SE – Debaser ^
Saturday, November 2, 2024 – Oslo, NO – John Dee ^
Tuesday, November 5, 2024 – Berlin, DE – Columbia Theater ^
Thursday, November 7, 2024 – Warsaw, PL – Club Progresja ^
Friday, November 8, 2024 – Prague, CZ – Palac Akropolis ^
Sunday, November 10, 2024 – Budapest, HU – Akvarium Klub ^
Monday, November 11, 2024 – Vienna, AT – Arena ^
Wednesday, November 13, 2024 – Milan, IT – Alcatraz ^
Thursday, November 14, 2024 – Zurich, CH – X-Tra ^
Saturday, November 16, 2024 – Munich, DE – Technikum ^
Sunday, November 17, 2024 – Luxembourg, LU – Rockhal ^
Tuesday, November 19, 2024 – Frankfurt, DE – Zoom +
Wednesday, November 20, 2024 – Tilburg, NL – 013 +
Friday, November 22, 2024 – Cologne, DE – Kantine +
Saturday, November 23, 2024 – Paris, FR – Le Cabaret Sauvage +
Monday, November 25, 2024 – Glasgow, UK – SWG3 #
Wednesday, November 27, 2024 – Manchester, UK – Academy #
Friday, November 29, 2024 – Nottingham, UK – Rock City #
Saturday, November 30, 2024 – Birmingham, UK – O2 Academy Birmingham #
Monday, December 2, 2024 – Cardiff, UK – The Great Hall, Cardiff Uni Students Union #
Tuesday, December 3, 2024 – London, UK – O2 Forum Kentish Town #
Thursday, December 5, 2024 – Dublin, IE – The Academy +
Friday, December 6, 2024 – Belfast, IE – Limelight +
^ with special guest Black River Delta
+ with special guest Cardinal Black
# Previously announced date with Devin Townsend Acoustic Performance
Myles Kennedy The Art Of Letting Go North American Tour 2025
Friday, January 17, 2025 – Joliet, IL – The Forge *
Saturday, January 18, 2025 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater *
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 – Flint, MI – The Machine Shop *
Wednesday, January 22, 2025 – Toronto, ON – The Concert Hall *
Friday, January 24, 2025 – Uncasville, CT – Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun
Saturday, January 25, 2025 – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre *
Monday, January 27, 2025 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall *
Tuesday, January 28, 2025 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Stone Pony *
Thursday, January 30, 2025 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage *
Friday, January 31, 2025 – Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre *
Sunday, February 02, 2025 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl *
Monday, February 03, 2025 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse *
Wednesday, February 05, 2025 – Destin, FL – Club LA *
Friday, February 07, 2025 – San Antonio, TX – Vibes Event Center *
Saturday, February 08, 2025 – Dallas, TX – Echo Lounge & Music Hall *
Tuesday, February 11, 2025 – Lawrence, KS – Liberty Hall *
Wednesday, February 12, 2025 – Denver, CO – Summit *
Friday, February 14, 2025 – Mesa, AZ – The Nile Theater *
Sunday, February 16, 2025 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre *
Tuesday, February 18, 2025 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades *
Thursday, February 20, 2025 – Seattle, WA – The Neptune *
Friday, February 21, 2025 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory *
* with Special Guest Tim Montana
More information on all shows including links to tickets and VIP packages can be found at https://myleskennedy.com.
