Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band — Straight To You: Live
The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band are well-known for their electric live performances across the globe performing to sold-out venues and packed music festivals. Following people requesting a live DVD release for decades, the band decided that the time was right to release an audio/visual delight.
Recorded at the famous Leverkusen Jazzstage for the iconic German TV show Rockpalast in November 2019, the seven-piece band open proceedings with ‘Woman Like You’ as Noah Hunt’s persuasive voice blends with Kenny’s fluid electric guitar to an excitable crowd.
‘Long Time Running’ sounds like a live cut by the band Chicago as the rich horn section drives it home whilst ‘I Want You’ allows Shepherd to showcase his vocal talents which is something he has been doing since the formation of The Rides alongside fellow seasoned musicians Stephen Stills and Barry Goldberg.
The cosmic keyboard solo segues into sultry saxophone and then silvery trumpet allowing the band to flourish. ‘Diamonds & Gold’ taken from the ‘Lay It On Down’ album hits you straight away and always gets a crowd moving with its Vegas-Esque horns and groovy guitar tones. I remember seeing this live in a packed tent at Ramblin Man Fair in Maidstone, Kent when they headlined the Outlaw Country stage in 2017.
‘Talk To Me Baby’ is a welcome inclusion for blues lovers and ‘Heat Of The Sun’ has a powerful lead vocal courtesy of Hunt as he allows the lyrics to be out front and centre as the guitar cries out like a phoenix rising from the ashes. ‘Down For Love’ is a fun outing complete with slick drumming from Rock And Roll Of Fame Member Chris Leighton.
Fan favourite ‘Blue On Black’ rolls into the setlist and sounds as fresh as ever and the audience absolutely love it. ‘King Bee’ is a funky number with cheeky lyrics as the rhythm section keeps it moving. Closing the set with Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Voodoo Child’ (Slight Return), Kenny Wayne Shepherd becomes immersed in the song as the guitar effects are unleashed for a twelve-minute adventure.
In conclusion, at a time when the live music world is not as active as it has been, Straight To You: Live is a welcome release with a well-thought-out selection of songs, phenomenally talented musicians and two classy frontmen who just musically gel. Catch them on tour in the UK in October 2021.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band’s new live album ‘Straight To You: Live’ is out now on Provogue Records/Mascot Label Group. For more information visit www.kennywayneshepherd.net
Jo Harrop – Beautiful Fools (Single)
Jazz vocalist and songwriter Jo Harrop will release her new album ‘ The Path Of A Tear’ in June 2024. The first single to be taken from the album is called ‘Beautiful Fools’.
Joanne Shaw Taylor – All The Way From America (Single)
British blues-rock artist Joanne Shaw Taylor has had a steady stream of single releases in 2023 “Sweet ‘Lil Lies’, “Black Magic” and “Wild Love” through Joe Bonamassa’s Journeyman Records.
RHODES – Toothpaste (Single)
Hertfordshire-raised, London-based singer/songwriter RHODES first captured everyone’s attention with a series of EPs leading up to the release of his acclaimed 2015 debut album Wishes (via Sony Music).
Phoenix Lake – Fractured Wings (Single)
Phoenix Lake are a melodic metal four-piece from Nottingham, United Kingdom and they have recently released their new single ‘Fractured Wings’.
Steve Balsamo – Snow Angels (Single)
Vocalist and musician Steve Balsamo has been very busy in 2023 with not only his his solo music and collaborative projects but also his work with Grand Ambition at the Swansea Grand Theatre in Swansea, South Wales.
