Customer Reviews

Live on

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

To hear Kenny Wayne Shepherd's new single, "In 2 Deep", as well as "Them Changes", you might think he had abandoned his blues roots altogether. These are two smoking hard-rock tracks, bordering on metal. But there is plenty of blues on "Live On", his best, most consistent release so far. Of course there are the standard blues shuffles in "Shotgun Blues" and "Losing Kind." "Last Goodbye" is a mid-tempo blues tune reminiscent of the lighter side of the Allman Bros. "Never Mind" and "You Should Know Better" are up-tempo blues with the familiar KWS swagger, and then there's the scorching cover of Peter Green's classic, "Oh Well." Ex-Allman Warren Haynes adds some slide guitar to "Every Time It Rains." The mood mellows considerably toward the end,and this is where "Live On" shines the brightest. The title track is an anthemic blues ballad with a gospel feel. The track features great background vocals by Stephanie Spruil and Pat Hodges. "Where Was I?" is a brisk soft-rock tune punctuated by Shepherd's bluesy soloing. The cd closes with the appropriately titled instrumental, "Electric Lullaby." A new addition to the KWS Band is bassist Keith Christopher, who plays on several albums by the hard-edged country-rock band Shaver. ("Unshaven:Live" is a great 5-star cd worth checking out.) Unfortunately missing from the KWS band is keyboardist Jimmy Wallace, who contributed greatly to the band's first two releases.

If you're a fan of guitar music, especially electric guitar, this album is a must-have.

Kenny's guitar playing is hautingly similar to Stevie Ray Vaughn's and the vocals are a perfect match for the bluesy sound. The sound is very professional, but not sterile like a lot of studio recordings, it has a very "live" feel.

This album features a remake of the Jimi Hedrix tune Changes (named Them Changes on this album) off the Band of Gypsys album. I was skeptical at first, but man it rocks!

If you are a fan of the blues you must buy this album!

Kenny Wayne Shepherd has truly earned his spot in the blues world as a player and songsmith. HOT HOT playing, and slamming riffs make Shepherd shine on this record... let's see more Kenny, but let's move away from Albert King and SRV licks - start melding your own blues.... then you'd have something revolutionary and 5 starred.

On the band's 3rd album, Kenny Wayne Shepherd continues to play some wicked electric guitar and prove he is a great songwriter too. Influenced by the styles of Stevie Ray Vaughn, Clapton, Hendrix, and the Allman Bros, this kid's rock & roll blues are raw, loud and generally highly charged. He even throws a few very well written ballads in the mix here. This is my type of rock & roll. Lead vocalist Noah Hunt, who has a voice beyond his years, adds to the jam, and together these guys rock throughout the entire CD. Although the CD is energetic, it doesn't even come close to the energy these boys generate in concert. (I'll reserve their five star rating for their release of a live album). Buy the CD first, THEN see them live.

The released singles "In Too Deep" and "Last Goodbye" are good but I like the intensity of the lyrics and the jam on a song called "Was" which features Kenny on a steel guitar. I'm hoping this song is the next released single.

I consider the music these guys play a tribute to some of the great rock & roll masters and Kenny Wayne certainly has the creative energy to sustain this musical blend of rock & roll blues. More studio time, time on the road and years of experience will allow their own individual style to evolve, so they can take the music where some of their influences didn't live to take it.

Kenny has demonstrated his use of the "Wah" on his first two albums but in "Live On" he shifts his direction more towards the traditional blues with the "Slide". This album is a great balance of traditional Kenny and tradtional slide and will never get overwhelmed with all the songs sounding the same as with other blues guitarists around his age. Overall, great album!

My initial impression of this disc is that KWS needs to learn the value of subtlety. Sometimes it sounds like a wall of sound. His first disc (Ledbetter Heights) sounded to me like he had a lot of stuff he needed to get out RIGHT NOW. It had a lot of tasty licks in it as well as volume. The second one (Trouble Is...) sounded like he was hitting his stride. This disc sounded like he sort of mailed it in. There's just too many needless overdubs that sound like they're there just to fill up space. I've seen him live and he doesn't need overdubs. He can fill up more than enough space by himself without overdubs. BTW, Noah Hunt can flat out sing. That boy just wails in concert. All this being said, I would rather listen to this disc than almost anything else out there. It's probably as much my problem looking for perfection in KWS and not finding it. This guy has so much talent and someday soon he will make the perfect kick ass blues record.

I'm not sure what CD the other reviewers on this page listened to, but what I heard is one of the most awe-inspiring collections of guitarmanship and songwriting ever assembled. There's no wonder that B.B. King called KWS the "eighth wonder of the world" - the kid (now 22) rocks from the first note. There are numerous smashes here, among them "In 2 Deep" (already a #1 rock track), "Was" and "Last Goodbye." Own a piece of history today and pick this one up now. You won't be disappointed!

The past few years have witnessed a deluge of adolesant Blues musicians, each possessing prodigeous guitar skills, unique vocal abilities, and an undying passion for music. Foremost among these young Blues musicians is Kenny Wayne Shepherd. "Live On",is perhaps Kenny's most accomplished work to date as it sports not only the heart-wrenching, wonderful darkness of the Blues, but also plenty of soul, rhythym, and funk. From the Delta-Blues tinted "Was", to the intimacy of the touching ballad "Last Goodbye", Shepherd's mesmerizing guitar touch is consummately consistent with the rich abilities of lead vocalist Noah Hunt, who's voice is rich in esoteric sentiment. Kenny Wayne Shepherd has certianly earned his place, among the great masters of Blues Guitar.

This release, Kenny's third, finds him leaning towards the rock side of things. It seems as if Kenny is starting to become more mature on this record, playing more economically than on the first two cds, "Ledbetter Heights" and "Trouble Is...". Noah Hunt's vocals are very good on this record also. He makes the transition well from hard rockers like "In 2 Deep" to slower numbers like "Last Goodbye" to blues wailers like "Shotgun Blues". This whole record kicks from top to bottom; every song is great. People who say he still sounds like Stevie Ray Vaughan on this cd I don't agree with. Honestly, can anyone imagine Stevie doing a song like "In 2 Deep"? I think Kenny's songwriting and guitar playing drastically improved on this record. Maybe now he's finally ready to step out of Stevie Ray's shadow when his new album drops in the first week of September. Highlights are the hard rocking "In 2 Deep", the Skynyrd-meets-Robert Johnson "Was", the ballad "Last Goodbye" and the absolutely beautiful, Grammy-nominated "Electric Lullaby".

I want to get down on this guy because he is too young and cocky but I just can not do anything but love him. I have seen him perform live and somehow you get the feeling that Shepherd and Hunt came from a gang some place that use to beat up weaker kids, you know the type. But this gang can play in the band. Go ahead curl up the corner of your lip when you first meet him, but you damn well better listen to what comes out of the openings because it is the potent stuff that can very well snap your spine from rocking back and forth or hurt your hands and feet from slapping and stomping. Let there be no mistake about it, these kids came to rock...this is not the blues here per se....it may be something in between but not since the Black Crows will you hear better in this recent history. Buy this and turn it up!