Published on Mar 15, 2000
Ever since his recorded debut a few short years ago, people have
been calling Kenny Wayne Shepherd the reincarnation of the late
Stevie Ray Vaughan. Stylistically, the two guitarists have much in
common – and excuse me for a minute for referring to Vaughan in the
present. Both are absolute masters of the Stratocaster – a guitar
which some pros say is the toughest to totally control. Both know
how to pull the most beautiful notes out of their guitars. Both
have crack backing bands to support them.
The main difference between Vaughan and Shepherd is that Vaughan
was more of a blues purist, while Shepherd is not afraid to dip his
twenty-something hand into the waters of pop rock.
Live On, the third release from the Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Band, illustrates this magnificently – although the tried and true
formula starts to wear thin near the end.
Before we continue, a quick memo to all record labels: Any time
you send out an advance like the one I’ve been listening to on and
off for the last five months, please make sure you tell the writer
in the press kit which songs the guest musicians play on. All I can
tell the reader is that the guests on this disc include members of
Double Trouble (Vaughan’s old backing group), James Cotton and Les
Claypool… but I have no frickin’ idea which tracks they perform
on. ‘Nuff said.
Shepherd’s backing band is one main reason why
Live On is such a special disc. Noah Hunt’s vocals are as
much a distinct part of the sound as Shepherd’s guitar work;
separate the two, and the magic is greatly diminished. The rhythm
section of bassist Keith Christopher and drummer Sam Bryant might
not always be the center of attention, but their solid rhythmic
backbone helps to lay down a solid foundation for Shepherd to come
in and add the guitar highlights.
Tracks like “In 2 Deep,” “Was” and the Allman Brothers-tinged
“Last Goodbye” (written by the late Jeff Buckley) all quickly show
anyone who thought that “Blue On Black” (from Shepherd’s last disc
Trouble Is…) was a one-hit wonder will be in for an
eye-opening surprise. Even the covers – namely, Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh
Well” and Buddy Miles’s “Them Changes” – are inspired, though “Them
Changes” is an admittedly curious choice.
But there are a few times where Shepherd seems to be trying way
too hard to follow Vaughan’s footsteps. “Shotgun Blues” is one
example; at times, it’s almost like Shepherd is playing with the
ghost of Vaughan, and is trying to trade solos lick for lick
against a force we can’t hear. Likewise, on “Electric Lullaby,”
Shepherd doesn’t quite seem to know just what to do with the gentle
moment of the album, and it feels a little too heavy on the guitar
end.
The first half of
Live On is the strongest, with the songs hitting like rabbit
punches to the midsection. But the second half of the disc almost
sags under its own weight. Tracks like “Wild Love” and “Losing
Kind” probably would have stood out had they been placed anywhere
on the album, but it’s almost like they get lost in the shuffle at
times. A notable exception to this is the title track, which is
given every opportunity to shine. Shepherd’s guitar work here is
nothing short of magnificent.
There is no doubt that Shepherd is both a talented musician and
songwriter, and if anyone has a claim to the throne once occupied
by Vaughan, he’s got the strongest one. But Shepherd should try and
be more free-thinking with some of his music – something he is
starting to do with tracks like “Live On” and the cover of “Last
Goodbye”. After all, it’s one thing to emulate arguably the
greatest blues guitarist of this generation. It’s another to take
his legacy and build upon it by branching out.