One of the finest blues musicians of recent years, Kenny Wayne Shepherd is back with the follow up to his acclaimed and quite excellent Lay it on down. An album that showcases an increasingly mature and settled Kenny, the traveller draws its title from the song tailwind and is loosely linked by a theme of fostering unity in the light of so much political, social and economic division around the world. Alongside the new cuts are two covers, both influenced by benefit events Kenny attended. The first, turn to stone, is a tune Kenny originally covered at an event for its writer, Joe Walsh, whilst Mr Soul is a tune he tackled with Neil Young at an autism benefit – both come off sounding killer on record and serve as a tribute to the experience Kenny had playing the pieces live. Indeed, the record as a whole sounds stellar, thanks to the astute pairing of Shepherd himself and Marshall Altman and, if Kenny has matured, it has not dimmed the fire of his astounding guitar work.
The album opens with the gloriously soulful woman like you, a track that is built around the fiery opening riff and anchored by crunchy percussion. It’s a blistering opening with a seriously addictive chorus and plenty of energy that sets the tone perfectly for the album to follow. The half-time beat of long time running gives the opening riff weight and, when the pace does pick up, it carries with it an adrenaline surge that suggests this will unstoppable live. It’s a hypnotic beat that opens I want you, Kenny and Marshall adding brass to give the piece a soulful vibe that is sublime. Based around the looping percussion, the track builds beautifully, finally hitting an ecstatic Shepherd solo and leaving the listener somewhat dazzled by it all. Music such as this cannot fail to make you feel alive, and if, as many have suggested, music is a unifying force, then tracks like this are surely at the forefront of that notion. Next up Tailwind, the song from which the album takes its name, sees Kenny employ a descending acoustic riff that, backed by the keys, recalls Counting Crows with its aura of gentle melancholy. The album concludes its first half with the addictive Gravity, a track that surely would have eaten the charts whole back in the days when physical singles were actually a thing. Mid-paced and with a fantastic, double-tracked vocal, it’s a track that will work its way under your skin and then stay there for days.
Opening side two, We all alright has funky underpinnings and a real sense of swing to it. Another song with a catchy chorus, it offers up some sublime guitar work, an electrifying solo really giving the song a gritty edge that is sweetened only slightly by the keys and a neat dynamic shift that brings the track to its conclusion. Following on from the reflective Take it on home, we get a blistering take on Mr. Soul. This is not the first time Kenny has covered Neil Young, his band The Rides having delivered an ecstatic Rockin’ in the free world, but even so, Mr. Soul is delivered with such horn-powered fire that it damn near eclipses the original. Like any great artist, Kenny has taken the song and run with it, making it his own in the process rather than living in thrall to the original, and damn, if it’s not another album highlight. After so stunning an outpouring, any track would have a hard time following and the slight Better with me, whilst a fine tune in its own right, feels like it might have been better placed earlier in the album. The record finishes with the Joe Walsh cover, Turn to stone, which offers up yet more of Kenny’s glorious guitar work along with a chorus worthy of Pink Floyd at the height of their powers, all of which brings the album to a perfect conclusion.
The Traveler is another perfect example of Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s mastery of melody. His guitar playing, never less than exquisite, is harnessed to a series of songs that are always good and frequently sublime. A number of earworms can be found across the album, not least the exquisite long time running, whilst the covers see Kenny interpreting a pair of classic tunes in his own inimitable style and making them his own in the process. A life affirming, beautifully recorded album, the traveler comes highly recommended. 9
