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Whether it’s with Alter Bridge, solo, or with Slash, the ever-prolific Myles Kennedy has performed on ten studio albums in the last seventeen years. The most relevant album of these would be Kennedy’s 2018 debut solo effort ‘Year Of The Tiger’, a beautiful, heartfelt, acoustic-driven album that struck a chord with many through its stark storytelling which dealt with, amongst other subjects, loss, and grief. So how does Kennedy follow that up? By plugging in and turning it up, by producing an album full of variation, that’s how.
With longtime friend and drummer Zia Uddin, and bassist/manager Tim Tournier alongside him (as well as having Michael “Elvis” Baskette on board as producer), Kennedy has created an album that not only enhances his reputation as one of the top rock vocalists around today but, also, it reinforces the long-thought opinion that Kennedy is a much-underrated guitarist.
From start-to-finish, ‘The Ides Of March’ is chock-full of sizzling guitar playing, and it’s obvious just how much fun Kennedy had letting loose one mind-blowing solo after another, so much so, that opening track ‘Get Along’ begins with Kennedy soloing for thirty seconds or so before he utters a word. A belting way to open album number two, ‘Get Along’ features a subtle, slide guitar tone in the background, while Kennedy conveys a simple message of unity. Not “get along” as in a relationship sense, but “get along” as in the human race living alongside Mother nature without fucking it up for generations to come. Kennedy’s vocals are as rich and warm as ever, and the trademark Myles Kennedy range is there for all to devour (especially the narrative-like vocals), but it is his fiery playing that lingers on for some time afterward. Kennedy quickly changes it up with a little shot of bluegrass-esque playing on the opening moments of ‘A Thousand Words’, before opting down a more familiar hard rock path as the song develops. The guitar sound is massive, and along with some more traditional instrumentation, it highlights how consummate a player Kennedy actually is.
Opening with lashings of bluesy slide guitar from Kennedy, ‘In Stride’ is a four-minute banger that meshes a killer ZZ Top blues shuffle with big-ass atmospheric riffs and a thumping drum sound from Uddin. The guitar licks from Kennedy that take the track to its conclusion simply sizzle, his vocals seem effortless and he sounds like he is having a total blast here. Longtime producer Baskette delivers his usual stellar performance, and although ‘In Stride’ sounds more larger-than-life the higher the volume goes, it is never blighted with the curse of so many modern-day releases, i.e. overproduced by someone who sacrifices clarity for volume. This one forms an impressive twelve minutes or so alongside the title track itself which follows on straight afterward. The title track is a seven-minute epic that opens in a soft manner with Kennedy delivering a foreboding spoken-word vocal which is kind of similar to the way that Bruce Dickinson introduces ‘Fear of The Dark’ when Maiden plays it live. There’s a brief Rush-esque blast of music, which grows with a light jazzy feel…and that’s all in the first 90 seconds or so. The song begins to build at its own pace and never feels forced, more progressive touches here and there, with the band really stretching out on this one. Kennedy is clearly having a blast playing his guitar, and his work is at times stunning; especially during a brief tip-of-the-hat to the Rolling Stones classic ‘Paint It Black’ around the 3:45 mark which seeps into a beautiful Santana-like guitar solo which runs for a minute or so. From here the song takes on a Zeppelin-ish feel musically, and the dreamy vocal melodies in places take on a Beatles-esque vibe. It’s Kennedy’s guitar playing that really stands out though. A handful of incredible, lengthy solos forms the foundations of this beautiful, well-crafted piece of art that works on so many levels.
The acoustic-soaked intro of ‘Love Rain Down’ is a beautiful moment; part America ‘Horse With No Name’, part David Coverdale ‘Soldier Of Fortune’-style breathless vocals, it’s a gorgeous way to begin a track that gets better with each listen, and (along with ‘Moonshine’) as close to a “ballad” as Kennedy gets. Utterly stunning guitar tones throughout a five-minute, slow-burning gem that ends with a minute-long guitar solo. ‘Tell It Like It Is’ is a shit-kicker tailor-made for audience participation, and try as one might, one simply cannot listen to the track without clapping along. Ditto ‘Wanderlust Begins’, which features a simple, effective drum beat, and grows with a gorgeous country-guitar twang and one of Kennedy’s most beautiful, and understated vocal performances to date. The guitar tones throughout parts of ‘Sifting Through The Fire’ are a stunning tribute to The Allman Brothers Band, and the track is a lighter-than-light hopeful few minutes that floor it towards the end with another killer guitar solo from Kennedy.
Ending on the bluesy, shuffling tones of ‘Worried Mind’ (complete with a mid-song jam that features some big-ass bass from Tim Tournier), ‘The Ides Of March’ puts the “difficult second album” train of thought to bed, once and for all. Great song-craft, and some wonderful playing from all featured, but ‘The Ides Of March’ is especially memorable for the guitar god-like work from Myles Kennedy. Expect to see the album rattling around numerous “Top Ten Albums of The Year” lists come December.
Available May 14th through Napalm Records, pre-order here.
Photo credit – Chuck Brueckmann
Live Shots – Callum Scott
