These days Kenny Wayne Shepherd tends to keep his blues lurking low in the mix, waiting for the chance to break out from under the bright, sassy classic rock riffs and melodies he’s been perfecting over the past couple of albums.
But there’s no denying the impact when Shepherd does let the blues off the leash, like the stunning solo that rips through the middle of this album’s Sweet And Low or the brief bursts that punctuate Bad Intentions. The final track, the slow, repetitive Ease My Mind, is all blues, reaping the benefits of the smart production.
However, there are moments when the album sounds a little too clean, when even the power chords gleam.
The contrast when Shepherd drops his guard for a raucous cover of Elton John’s Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting and lets fly with a blistering solo at the end is vivid.
