Showing posts with label Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Show all posts

Friday, May 15, 2026

Kenny Wayne Shepherd - Ledbetter Heights (The 30th Anniversary Sessions)

Album: Ledbetter Heights (The 30th Anniversary Sessions)
Size: 148,1 MB
Time: 64:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2026
Styles: Blues-rock
Art: Front

1. Born With A Broken Heart (4:41)
2. Deja Voodoo (6:27)
3. Aberdeen (4:18)
4. Shame, Shame, Shame (6:55)
5. One Foot On The Path (3:49)
6. Everybody Gets The Blues (5:56)
7. While We Cry (Live) (8:14)
8. I'm Leaving You (Commit A Crime) (5:30)
9. (Let Me Up) I've Had Enough (2:48)
10. Riverside (4:16)
11. What's Goin' Down (5:30)
12. Ledbetter Heights (5:52)

It’s been thirty years since, as a teen from Shreveport, Louisiana, Kenny Wayne Shepherd helped shine a light on blues music in the mainstream with his album Ledbetter Heights. Now the platinum-selling, six-time Grammy-nominated guitarist has released Ledbetter Heights (The 30th Anniversary Sessions).

The newly recorded collection revisits Shepherd’s landmark 1995 debut in full, following a series of singles released in recent weeks including “Deja Voodoo,” “One Foot on the Path,” and now “Born With A Broken Heart,” each providing a look at the project’s updated sound and perspective.

Signed by Irving Azoff at just 16 years old, Shepherd recorded Ledbetter Heights while still in high school, splitting his time between classes in Louisiana and sessions in Memphis. Now, three decades later, he returns to that material. A key presence on the project is longtime collaborator and legendary drummer Chris “Whipper” Layton, a founding member of Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, who has played alongside Shepherd since the original Ledbetter Heights sessions.

The album was co-produced with Jerry Harrison, whose history with Shepherd spans multiple records including Trouble Is… and its 25th anniversary re-recording. In another full-circle detail, Shepherd returned to his original 1995 rig for the sessions, using the same sonic palette that first introduced him to audiences. /Hannah Means-Shannon, Wildfire Music

Ledbetter Heights (The 30th Anniversary Sessions) mc
Ledbetter Heights (The 30th Anniversary Sessions) gofile

Friday, March 21, 2025

Bobby Rush & Kenny Wayne Shepherd - Young Fashioned Ways

Album: Young Fashioned Ways
Size: 111,4 MB
Time: 48:13
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2025
Styles: Blues, harmonica blues
Art: Front

1. Who Was That (4:13)
2. 40 Acres (How Long) (5:41)
3. Hey Baby (What Are We Gonna Do) (3:58)
4. Uncle Esau (4:43)
5. Make Love to You (4:20)
6. Long Way From Home (3:13)
7. G String (5:31)
8. You So Fine (3:45)
9. Young Ways (6:43)
10. What She Said (6:01)

Bobby Rush and Kenny Wayne Shepherd were born about 44 years and miles apart. Several decades later after the two forged their own path in music and the blues, it seemed like an idea that had been waiting to happen. For over 100 years, blues music has inspired, comforted and spoken to the truth. Young Fashioned Ways has managed to accomplish all of that and more. Shepherd notes, “Once Bobby and I got together, it felt like going home,” with Rush adding, “I’ve been waiting a long time for something like this to come knocking.” Kenny Wayne Shepherd is a multi-platinum recording artist with five Grammy nominations, several Blues Music awards, among many other awards and accolades. Bobby Rush is a 3x Grammy winner and Blues Hall of Famer with his most recent Grammy win for his last album All My Love For You.”

Personnel: Bobby Rush (vocals, harmonica); Kenny Wayne Shepherd (guitar); Steve Potts (drums); Charles Hodges (keyboards, Hammond B-3); Darryl "DJ" Pruitt” (bass); Doug Wolverton (trumpet); Charlie Di Puma (saxophone).

Young Fashioned Ways mc
Young Fashioned Ways gofile

Monday, January 6, 2025

Kenny Wayne Shepherd - Dirt On My Diamonds Vol. 1

Album: Dirt On My Diamonds Vol. 1
Size: 82,8 MB
Time: 35:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2023
Styles: Blues-rock, rock
Art: Front

1. Dirt On My Diamonds (3:23)
2. Sweet & Low (3:55)
3. Best Of Times (3:27)
4. You Can't Love Me (4:12)
5. Man On A Mission (4:13)
6. Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (5:04)
7. Bad Intentions (4:29)
8. Ease My Mind (6:56)

Dirt on My Diamonds Vol. 1 has been a long time in the making. In a 2021 interview, Kenny Wayne Shepherd told Blues Rock Review that when the pandemic hit the band had just wrapped up almost two albums worth of material. When the pandemic came, Kenny pivoted by releasing Straight To You Live and followed that by celebrating the 25th anniversary of Trouble Is. Dirt on My Diamonds Vol. 1 was recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama at FAME Studios. This is the third time that Shepherd has enlisted the services of Marshall Altman to help produce. About the record, Shepherd said, “Every record I make is a moment in time. And this is a really special moment.”

The album kicks off with the big band horn sound of the title track. Kenny handles lead vocals on the song and his singing has never sounded better. The groovy “Sweet and Low” follows which was released as a single. Shepherd wrote the song with Phillip White, who came up with the title after drinking a cup of coffee and seeing Sweet ‘N Low packages. Once again, Kenny takes the reign on lead vocals and belts in the chorus, “Ain’t nothing any sweeter than loving you.” (referring to a woman, not coffee).

“Best of Times” is another single featuring wah-wah drenched guitar. Noah Hunt sings the verses while Kenny jumps in to sing the raucously energetic chorus. The album mellows down on the pop-infused “You Can’t Love Me” complimented by Kenny’s beautiful Stratocaster licks. Noah assumes lead vocals for “Man on a Mission” as well as a rocking rendition of Elton John’s “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting.” “Bad Intentions” features a crunchy riff that lives up to the song title with Kenny back on vocals. Dirt on My Diamonds Vol. 1 closes with its longest track, “Easy My Mind,” a slow blues perfectly suited for Noah’s voice with Kenny stretching his wings on guitar.

Dirt on My Diamonds Vol. 1 is punchy, fun blues rock. Shepherd intentionally did not want to make the album dark saying, “There’s not a lot of incredibly heart-wrenching or difficult subject matter… My goal is always to make music that makes people feel good, regardless of what it’s about.” Mission accomplished. Dirt on My Diamonds Vol. 1 is stellar from start to finish and maintains Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s place among the top blues rock acts in the world. Now we just wait for Vol. 2. /Pete Francis, Blues Rock Review

Dirt On My Diamonds Vol. 1 mc
Dirt On My Diamonds Vol. 1 gofile

Kenny Wayne Shepherd - Dirt On My Diamonds Vol. 2

Album: Dirt On My Diamonds Vol. 2
Size: 72,2 MB
Time: 31:04
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2024
Styles: Blues-rock, rock
Art: Front

1. I Got A Woman (4:13)
2. The Middle (3:56)
3. My Guitar Is Crying (3:36)
4. Long Way Down (3:51)
5. Never Made It To Memphis (4:20)
6. Watch You Go (4:31)
7. Pressure (4:06)
8. She Loves My Automobile (2:28)

Kenny Wayne Shepherd returns with Dirt on My Diamonds Vol. 2. The album follows Dirt on My Diamonds Vol. 1, which was released late in 2023 and was voted to Blues Rock Review’s Top 20 Albums of 2023. Both albums were held back during the pandemic. Dirt on My Diamonds Vol. 2 is compact like the first album with eight tracks. This album was written in Muscle Shoals, Alabama just like Vol. 1. It was recorded at FAME Studios. Shepherd said, “The whole reason we went down to Muscle Shoals was to soak up the vibe that’s been left in that room for so many decades.”

Vol. 2 kicks off with the lead single “I Got A Woman,” a rocker with a groovy beat featuring Kenny on vocals complimented by a horns section. The second track, “The Middle” opens with horns and Noah Hunt takes the reigns on vocals. It features a catchy chorus and the guitar solo features drenched wah-wah complimented by the horn section. The album takes a mellow turn on “My Guitar is Crying.” Kenny’s voice works really well on songs like this and he makes the guitar cry on the solo but keeps it tight complimenting the song and not overpowering it. Another strong suit of Kenny’s, serving the song with the guitar and not the other way around.

“Long Way Down” heads back in the rock direction with Noah on lead vocals. Hunt sings about a person down on their luck but not giving up. The single, “Never Made It To Memphis,” is an album standout with Kenny on vocals and is a roll-down-the-windows and play-it loud rocker. Noah sings on “Watch You Go,” which is one of the bluesiest tracks on the album. The horn section really shines here. Back to Kenny on lead vocals, “Pressure” is a super funky tune where Shepherd sings about unneeded pressure from outside influences. The album closer, “She Loves My Automobile,” a ZZ top cover, is a shuffle where Kenny stretches his wings a bit more on the guitar.

Dirt on My Diamonds Vol. 1 was a great album. Dirt on My Diamonds Vol. 2 is even better. This is a very tight blues rock album with each track worthy of being a single. It’s been a long wait for Kenny Wayne Shepherd to release all of this music, but it’s been worth it. Kenny and the band are dialed in and firing on all cylinders. Great hooks, great songs, great musicianship, the total package. Dirt on My Diamonds Vol. 2 is definitely a standout album of 2024. /Pete Francis, Blues Rock Review

Dirt On My Diamonds Vol. 2 mc
Dirt On My Diamonds Vol. 2 gofile

Monday, April 25, 2022

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band - Trouble Is...

Album: Trouble Is...
Size: 130,9 MB
Time: 56:35
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1997
Styles: Blues-rock
Art: Full

1. Slow Ride (3:49)
2. True Lies (5:48)
3. Blue On Black (5:30)
4. Everything Is Broken (3:48)
5. I Don't Live Today (4:34)
6. (Long) Gone (5:24)
7. Somehow, Somewhere, Someway (5:34)
8. I Found Love (When I Found You) (4:01)
9. King's Highway (4:17)
10. Nothing To Do With Love (4:49)
11. Chase The Ranbow (4:57)
12. Trouble Is... (3:57)

Instead of breaking from his high-energy, high-voltage blues-rock, Kenny Wayne Shepherd offers more of the same on his second album, Trouble Is... While the record lacks the surprise and impact of Ledbetter Heights, it's clear that Shepherd is growing as a guitarist, developing a cleaner, more nuanced technique. He still suffers from the lack of an original voice, plus a lack of strong material, but his growth as a guitarist compensates for what's missing. /Thom Owens, AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

Trouble Is... mc
Trouble Is... zippy

Thursday, November 26, 2020

Kenny Wayne Shepherd - Straight To You: Live

Size: 193,4 MB
Time: 83:26
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2020
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front & Back

01. Woman Like You (Live) ( 4:20)
02. **Mr. Soul (Live) ( 3:55)
03. Long Time Running (Live) ( 4:06)
04. I Want You (Live) ( 7:41)
05. Diamonds & Gold (Live) ( 6:27)
06. Talk To Me Baby (Live) ( 5:36)
07. Heat Of The Sun (Live) (10:50)
08. Down For Love (Live) ( 4:29)
09. Shame, Shame, Shame (Live) ( 8:42)
10. Turn To Stone (Live) ( 6:15)
11. Blue On Black (Live) ( 4:59)
12. King Bee (Live) ( 4:24)
13. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) (Live) (11:35)

**Not on CD. Only on Digital version.

The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band will be releasing their first ever live concert video in 10 years this winter. 'Straight To You: Live' will be released on 27th November via Provogue. Their only other live output, the ’Live! In Chicago’ album was released a decade ago and got itself a Grammy nomination along the way, but this time around for 2020, you get to watch the band in its full glory as well as listen. In the last 10 years the multi-platinum selling Shepherd has gone from strength to strength, winning countless awards, releasing four studio albums and touring the world over several times - from Brazil to Europe, India to Canada and US to Australia and beyond. The band were only weeks into 'The Traveler World Tour' when the Covid-19 pandemic broke, and the world came to a standstill. The show took place at the famous Leverkusen Jazzstage for the iconic German TV show, Rockpalast on 25th November 2019. The seven-piece band took the stage and immediately launched into their most-recent hit-single 'Woman Like You,' with the honey-soaked powerhouse voice of Noah Hunt blasting "I ain't looking for a one time girl" backed by the fiery fretwork of Shepherd. Taken from 'The Traveler,' it's the first of four songs from the latest studio album, "'Woman Like You' is the perfect opening song for the show,“ Shepherd says. “You come out swinging, it sets the mood for the entire show. It's like, we're there to rock, and we mean business."

Straight To You: Live MP3
Straight To You: Live FLAC

Friday, May 31, 2019

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band - The Traveler

Source: Digital Lossless Copy
Size: 106.6 MB
Time: 46:18
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Blues Rock
Art: Front & Back

01. Woman Like You (4:19)
02. Long Time Running (4:11)
03. I Want You (6:29)
04. Tailwind (4:01)
05. Gravity (3:43)
06. We All Alright (5:31)
07. Take It On Home (4:35)
08. Mr. Soul (3:47)
09. Better With Time (3:55)
10. Turn To Stone (5:44)

The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band released Lay It On Down in 2017, which was voted Blues Rock Review’s top album of the year. Two years later, Kenny and the gang are back with The Traveler and they aren’t slowing down. Joined by Noah Hunt (vocals), Chris Layton (drums), Kevin McCormick (bass), and Jimmy McGorman and Joe Krown (keys), The Traveler is another top notch album from start to finish.

The upbeat “Woman Like You” opens up the album with Noah Hunt on lead vocals and features a horn section setting the tone. “Long Time Running” follows and the song “is someone expressing what it’s like to lead a complicated existence,” says Shepherd, and includes some scorching lead from Kenny. “I Want You” is a song filled with swagger and “Tailwind” goes in more of a southern rock direction with a bit of a county vibe.

“Gravity” was released as a single and has Kenny back on vocals and is about a complicated relationship with a lover. Kenny is really coming into his own as a vocalist and has credited Stephen Stills of The Rides for encouraging him to sing more. Those vocals are also showcased on “Better With Time.” Kenny and Noah trade off vocals on “We All Alright” while Shepherd is back on lead vocals for “Take It On Home,” a radio friendly song with southern rock flare.

The album features two covers. Noah handles vocals for Buffalo Springfield’s “Mr. Soul,” which again, features a horn section and Joe Walsh’s “Turn To Stone,” which closes the album out. “Turn To Stone” is the track where Kenny really stretches his wings on the guitar.

The Traveler is an all-killer no-filler album. It features all sorts of influences, but everything is done well. The Traveler has blues elements, but is a very song-oriented album. We all know Shepherd can shred, but the guitar is always serving the song. When listening to The Traveler it’s easy to tell Kenny and the Band weren’t trying to fit into any particular box, just make a great record and that’s what they’ve accomplished. The Traveler is another can’t miss album from the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band. ; The Review: 9/10 ~Pete Francis

The Traveler

Friday, May 10, 2019

The BB King Blues Band - The Soul Of The King

Source: CD
Size: 140,3 MB
Time: 59:37
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Full

01. Irene Irene (4:29)
02. Sweet Little Angel (4:55)
03. There Must Be A Better World Somewhere (3:26)
04. Paying The Cost To Be The Boss (4:48)
05. Low Down (4:41)
06. She's The One (5:27)
07. Taking Care Of Business (3:17)
08. Becoming The Blues (5:19)
09. Hey There Pretty Woman (4:09)
10. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (4:02)
11. Regal Blues (A Tribute To The King) (5:15)
12. Pocket Full Of Money (6:07)
13. The Thrill Is Gone (3:37)

Long live the King. Four years since the passing of the great B.B. King, his towering influence over the blues world - and beyond - remains undimmed. From the long-standing fans still held spellbound by 1965's classic Live At The Regal album, to the young guitarists adding a shiver of vibrato to an emotive solo, King's music will never be forgotten. And this year, the iconic bluesman's presence is felt stronger than ever, as his spirit imbues a star-studded new album, The Soul Of The King. The term 'legend' doesn't do justice to B.B. King. The eight-decade story of how a Mississippi cotton-picker rose to the heights of the blues - changing the genre forever with his soul-drenched voice and 'one-note' touch - is told by his acclaimed studio catalogue and fabled live shows. Now, as the men who walked alongside him every step of the way for over 35 years, The B.B. King Blues Band writes the next chapter, on an album that salutes King's classic songs and showcases their own. "It's important," nods executive producer Terry Harvey, "to continue what he started." Boasting several world-class songwriters in their ranks, The Soul Of The King finds the lineup supplying material that stands alongside their late leader's catalogue - along with guests that include Joe Louis Walker's soulful tribute on Regal Blues and Kenny Wayne Shepherd's masterful solo on opener Irene Irene. Meanwhile, as King's faithful sidemen, this band of blues lifers have the great man's music under their fingernails, and made a bracing return to his greatest cuts. There's a heartfelt turn from Michael Lee on The Thrill Is Gone. Mary Griffin and Taj Mahal combine their vocal and guitar talents on Paying The Cost To Be The Boss - while Kenny Neal lends poignant vocals and licks to Sweet Little Angel. "Our approach was not to stray too far from the original, but still to make it fresh," says Harvey. "I want the world to remember B.B. and to introduce his music to the youth of today." They might have an illustrious history, but The Soul Of The King reminds us that The B.B. King Blues Band are a lineup moving forward, writing a love-letter to their fallen leader while staking their own claim in the modern era. "When we started this album, we wanted to let the world know the B.B. King Band is live and well," explains Harvey. "And that we are continuing B.B.'s musical legacy".

The Soul Of The King

Thursday, February 28, 2019

Reese Wynans & Friends - Sweet Release

Size: 497 MB
Time: 70:36
File: FLAC
Released: 2019
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Crossfire (5:04)
02. Say What! (5:50)
03. That Driving Beat (3:46)
04. You’re Killing My Love (5:46)
05. Sweet Release (6:59)
06. Shape I'm In (4:29)
07. Hard To Be (5:24)
08. Riviera Paradise (7:25)
09. Take The Time (5:18)
10. So Much Trouble (5:24)
11. I’ve Got A Right To Be Blue (4:47)
12. Soul Island (6:38)
13. Blackbird (3:40)

After 50 years of playing music, legendary keyboard/organ player Reese Wynans steps into the spotlight with his first solo album "Reese Wynans and Friends: Sweet Release".

Reese Wynans has played with everybody since the late 60's, from Duane Allman to Boz Scaggs to Jerry Jeff Walker and Carole King, before his famous stint in Stevie Ray Vaughan's band Double Trouble. Since 2015 he has been an integral part of Joe Bonamassa's band, playing to worldwide audiences.

On "Sweet Release", Reese is joined by his Double Trouble bandmates Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton, guitarists Joe Bonamassa, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Doyle Bramhall II, vocalists Sam Moore and Bonnie Bramlett, and many others, to pay tribute to songs from his recording career with Stevie Ray Vaughan, and other favorites, like bluesmen Otis Rush and Tampa Red.

Sweet Release

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

VA - Rockin' The Blues

Size: 153,3 MB
Time: 65:15
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Blues Rock
Art: Front & Back

01 Kenny Wayne Shepherd - Diamonds & Gold (5:15)
02 Quinn Sullivan - Midnight Highway (5:53)
03 Eric Gales - Been So Long (4:45)
04 Walter Trout - We're All In This Together (Feat. Joe Bonamassa) (7:55)
05 Beth Hart - Love Is A Lie (3:12)
06 Gary Hoey - Dust & Bones (4:07)
07 Lance Lopez - Mr Lucky (Previously Unreleased) (4:07)
08 Simo - People Say (3:57)
09 Thomas Wynn And The Believers - Wade Waist Deep (3:33)
10 Supersonic Blues Machine - L.O.V.E. (4:29)
11 Jonny Lang - Stronger Together (3:34)
12 Sonny Landreth - Blues Attack (Live) (5:21)
13 Black Stone Cherry - Champagne & Reefer (3:43)
14 Ronnie Baker Brooks - Times Have Changed (Feat. Al Kapone) (5:17)

Provogue is home to some of the worlds’ finest modern Blues artists and the Label are thrilled to announce their first Rockin’ The Blues 2018 Tour featuring the exceptional talents of Eric Gales, Quinn Sullivan, Gary Hoey and now added to the bill as a special end of show guest is Texan guitar slinger Lance Lopez guitar hero extravaganza. The tour will be calling through Germany, The Netherlands and the UK in March next year.

To celebrate this, Rockin’ The Blues, the album features 14 stellar performances from Eric Gales, Quinn Sullivan, Gary Hoey, Black Stone Cherry, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Beth Hart, Walter Trout, SIMO, Supersonic Blues Machine, Thomas Wynn & The Believers, Jonny Lang, Lance Lopez, Sonny Landreth and Ronnie Baker Brooks.
Guitar whirlwind Eric Gales’ Been So Long is taken from his critically acclaimed new album Middle of the Road which was released early 2017, Eric Gales is a man on form and on fire right now. His fourth album on Provogue/Mascot Label Group (15th album in total) sees him at his most expressive yet, his rebirth in fact; it is a deeply personal and reflective record that echoes where he is in his life right now and he allows himself to open up and really flourish. The who’s who of guitarists are declaring their admiration for him; Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction) exclaimed that “How Eric Gales isn’t the hugest name in rock guitar is a total mystery”, modern blues icon Joe Bonamassa said he is “One of the best, if not the best guitar player in the world”, whilst Mark Tremonti (Alter Bridge) said ‘this guy could be the best player on Earth” not to mention an admirer in the shape of Carlos Santana.

18 year old guitar prodigy and Buddy Guy protégé Quinn Sullivan has been a music professional for more than 75 percent of his life. He’s shared the stage with Buddy Guy aged eight, Eric Clapton, Los Lobos, The Roots, Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi and Joe Bonamassa, and he opened for B.B. King, who later invited him to play his treasured “Lucille” guitar. He’s also appeared on national TV, with guest appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Oprah, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Conan with Jeff Bridges and twice on The Ellen DeGeneres show aged six and fourteen. Sullivan has packed some extraordinary experience into his decade-long career, Midnight Highway is taken from the his new album of the same name which was produced by multi GRAMMY® winner Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, Susan Tedeschi, Johnny Winter).

It’s just so right-with-the-universe that Gary Hoey’s 20th album, Dust & Bones is an exuberant fusion of blues and rock. After all, this accomplished and diverse guitarist has explored several styles in his career—hard rock, rock, surf, and prog, to name a few. The title track is a bonafide Hoey classic. In 1987, the Boston-born guitarist caught the ear of Ozzy Osbourne—no slouch at picking great guitar players—and almost ended up in his band (The gig ultimately went to Zakk Wylde.) Hoey scored a major-label record deal where his version of Focus’ “Hocus Pocus” brought him huge success.

There’s no doubt about it, the state of Texas is well known worldwide for its fiery blues guitar players, and Lance Lopez (also singer/guitarist for Supersonic Blues Machine) perfectly encapsulates that fire on Mr Lucky with some furious piece of fretboard mastery.

The album is awash with some of the finest blues artists in modern times; powerhouse Beth Hart is unstoppable on Love is A Lie, the Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter is riding a creative tidal wave, firing out acclaimed albums, hooking up with the biggest names in music and rocking the house each night with that celebrated burnt-honey voice. Arena rockers Black Stone Cherry returned to their roots in September releasing a blues cover record Black to Blues, here they explode in BSC style on Muddy Waters, Champagne & Reefer. Louisiana’s Kenny Wayne Shepherd prowls on Diamonds & Gold saying; Diamonds & Gold is a wink-wink kinda thing about how materialistic our society has become. It’s like, we should be living for bigger things than how much we can accumulate. If you look at the mainstream and what young people are led to believe they should work towards – it’s all just stuff. And stuff doesn’t have much substance. So that song is just to kinda inspire people to look for more in life.”

Nashville trio SIMO get funky on People Say, slide guitar maestro Sonny Landreth demonstrates his chops on this live version of Blues Attack taken from Recorded Live In Lafayette. Blues warrior Walter Trout shows why he is at the peak of his career with the formidable We’re All In This Together ft. Joe Bonamasssa. Jonny Lang returned with his first new album, Signs in 4 years in 2017 and Stronger Together is a soul crossover highlight. Chicago blues man Ronnie Baker Brooks, son of the late great Lonnie Brooks, delivers some fine blues, soul and funk with Times Have Changed ft. Al Kapone. Orlando’s favourite band Thomas Wynn & The Believers deliver an exquisite performance on Wade Waist Deep whilst Supersonic Blues Machine go from strength to strength and reach for the sky on the festival favourite, the hypnotic L.O.V.E.

Rockin' The Blues

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Kenny Wayne Shepherd - 10 Days Out: Blues From The Backroads

Year: 2007
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:50
Size: 181,8 MB
Styles: Blues
Scans: Full

1. Prison Blues (w. Cootie Stark & Neal 'Big Daddy' Pattman) (4:38)
2. Potato Patch (w. Jerry 'Boogie' McCain) (5:46)
3. Honky Tonk (w. Buddy Flett) (3:13)
4. The Thrill Is Gone (w. B.B. King) (8:30)
5. Tina Marie (w. Bryan Lee) (4:22)
6. Born In Louisiana (w. Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown) (6:26)
7. Chapel Hill Boogie (w. John Dee Holeman) (5:49)
8. Tears Came Rollin' Down (w. Henry Townsend) (3:15)
9. Knoxville Rag (w. Etta Baker) (1:48)
10. Big Daddy Boogie (w. Neal 'Big Daddy' Pattman) (5:15)
11. U-Haul (w. Cootie Stark) (5:00)
12. Red Rooster (w. Henry Gray & Howlin' Wolf Band) (6:20)
13. Sittin' On Top Of The World (w. Hubert Sumlin & Howlin' Wolf Band) (3:58)
14. Spoonful (w. George 'Wild Child' Butler & Howlin' Wolf Band) (5:18)
15. Grindin' Man (w. Pinetop Perkins & Muddy Waters Band) (8:05)

10 Days Out may well be Kenny Wayne Shepherd's most important and intriguing album, even though the guitarist is hardly the featured artist on any of these tracks, working instead more as a sideman and facilitator for the impressive cast of venerable blues players who get a chance to shine here. Make no mistake about it, this recording belongs to such senior citizens as Henry Townsend, Etta Baker, Pinetop Perkins, and Henry Gray, and Shepherd's presence (and the presence of Stevie Ray Vaughan's Double Trouble rhythm section of bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton) simply helps to focus the attention on these veteran blues players.

Shepherd embarked on a ten-day journey into the American South in 2004 with a documentary film crew, a portable recording studio, and Double Trouble as a house band in an effort to catch the blues in its natural habitat of living rooms, kitchens, porches, back yards, and local watering holes, and the performances that resulted are priceless.

Here is one-armed harp player Neal Pattman and blind guitarist Cootie Stark turning in a joyous, ramshackle version of "Prison Blues." A little later, Stark delivers further on a delightful song called "U-Haul," complete with a marvelous improvised rap over the tune's run-out coda. Here, too, is the then-96-year-old Henry Townsend turning in a poignant "Tears Came Rollin' Down." Etta Baker, then 93, shows that age hadn't slowed her as a guitarist at all as she delivers an elegant "Knoxville Rag." Shepherd wisely stays in the background on cut after cut, allowing these amazing musical treasures to unfold naturally and without intrusive elements.

There are absolutely no hotshot guitar histrionics anywhere on this disc, which speaks to Shepherd's sincere vision for this project. He's after the preservation of blues history with 10 Days Out, and as if to underscore that aim, five of the album's participants (Neal Pattman, Cootie Stark, Gatemouth Brown, George "Wild Child" Butler, and Etta Baker) passed away before the album and concurrent documentary film were finally completed and released in 2007. Shepherd's name may be above the title, but he knows full well to whom this album belongs, and to his immense credit, those are the voices he lets speak the loudest. /Steve Leggett, AllMusic

10 Days Out: Blues From The Backroads mc
10 Days Out: Blues From The Backroads zippy

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Kenny Wayne Shepherd - The Legends EP Vols. I, II, III & IV

Kenny Wayne Shepherd and his group exploded on the scene in the mid-'90s and garnered huge amounts of radio airplay on commercial radio, which historically has not been a solid home for blues and blues-rock music, with the exception of Stevie Ray Vaughan in the mid-'80s. Shepherd was born June 12, 1977, in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Shreveport native began playing at age seven, figuring out Muddy Waters licks from his father's record collection (he has never taken a formal lesson). At age 13, he was invited on-stage by New Orleans bluesman Brian Lee and held his own for several hours; thus proving himself, he decided on music as a career. He formed his own band, which featured lead vocalist Corey Sterling, gaining early exposure through club dates and, later, radio conventions. Shepherd's father/manager used his own contacts and pizzazz in the record business to help land his son a major-label record deal with Irving Azoff's Giant Records. Ledbetter Heights, his first album, was released two years later in 1995 and was an immediate hit, selling over 500,000 copies by early 1996. Most blues records never achieve that level of commercial success, much less ones released by artists who are still in their teens. Although Shepherd -- who has been influenced by (and has sometimes played with) guitarists Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King, Slash, Robert Cray, and Duane Allman -- is definitely a performer who thrives in front of an audience, Ledbetter Heights was impressive for its range of styles: acoustic blues, rockin' blues, Texas blues, Louisiana blues. The only style that he doesn't tackle is Chicago blues, owing to Shepherd's home base being smack dab in the middle of the Texas triangle. Released in 1998, Trouble Is... earned a Grammy nomination and Live On followed a year later. In 2004 The Place You're In was released on Reprise Records, and was the first album to feature Shepherd doing the majority of the lead vocals (singer Noah Hunt handled the lead vocals on the previous two albums). Shepherd's next project saw him traveling in the American South with a documentary film crew and a portable recording studio as he backed up several veteran blues players on their home turf. The resulting album and film, 10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads, appeared in 2007 before Live! In Chicago followed in 2010. That November, Shepherd joined Jimmy Fallon's house band on TV for an evening, and performed with the same Fender Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix had played at Woodstock. Although Shepherd had kept busy in the intervening years, 2011's How I Go was his first studio album proper in a seven-year period. In an attempt to revive the success enjoyed with 1998's Trouble Is..., he once again recruited Noah Hunt on vocals, as well as former Talking Heads keyboard player and guitarist Jerry Harrison, who had produced the sessions for that platinum-selling album. Shepherd followed How I Go with 2014's Goin' Home, a tribute to his musical heroes that featured contributions from artists such as Ringo Starr and Keb' Mo'. ~ Steve Huey & Richard Skelly

Album: The Legends EP Vol. I
Size: 142 MB
Time: 20:44
File: FLAC
Released: 2007
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Honky Tonk (Live With Buddy Flett) (3:13)
02. Tina Marie (Live With Bryan Lee) (4:21)
03. Prison Blues (Live With Cootie Stark & Neal 'Big Daddy' Pattman) (4:36)
04. I'm Leavin' You (Live) (8:33)

The Legends EP Vol. I

Album: The Legends EP Vol. II
Size: 146 MB
Time: 22:22
File: FLAC
Released: 2007
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Potato Patch (Live With Jerry 'Boogie' McCain) (5:45)
02. Born In Louisiana (Live With Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown) (6:25)
03. Chapel Hill Boogie (Live With John Dee Holeman) (5:49)
04. Cleveland Mississippi (Live With Buddy Flett) (4:20)

The Legends EP Vol. II

Album: The Legends EP Vol. III
Size: 142 MB
Time: 21:25
File: FLAC
Released: 2008
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Tears Came Rollin' Down (Live With Henry Townsend) (3:14)
02. Knoxville Rag (Live With Etta Baker) (1:47)
03. Big Daddy Boogie (Live With Neal 'Big Daddy' Pattman) (5:15)
04. U-Haul (Live With Cottie Stark) (4:59)
05. Dollar Got The Blues (Live With Bryan Lee) (6:08)

The Legends EP Vol. III

Album: The Legends EP Vol. IV
Size: 184 MB
Time: 28:06
File: FLAC
Released: 2008
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Red Rooster (Live With Howlin' Wolf Band) (6:20)
02. Sittin' On The Top Of The World (Live With Hubert Slim & Howlin' Wolf Band) (3:56)
03. Spoonful (Live With Howlin' Wolf Band) (5:18)
04. Grindin' Man (Live With Muddy Waters Band) (8:02)
05. Shotgun Blues (Live) (4:28)

The Legends EP Vol. IV

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band - Goin' Home (Ltd Ed)

Year: 2014
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:06
Size: 157,2 MB
Styles: Electric Blues
Scans: Full

1. Palace Of The King (Feat. The Rebirth Brass Band) (3:48)
2. Everything's Gonna Be Alright (4:18)
3. I Love The Life I Live (Feat. Joe Walsh & Kim Wilson) (5:39)
4. The House Is Rockin' (3:00)
5. Breaking Up Somebody's Home (Feat. Warren Haynes) (5:01)
6. You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now (8:04)
7. You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover (Feat. Pastor Brady Blade, Sr.) (3:28)
8. Boogie Man (4:05)
9. Looking Back (4:06)
10. Cut You Loose (Feat. Ringo Starr) (4:34)
11. Born Under A Bad Sign (Feat. Keb' Mo & The Rebirth Brass Band) (4:23)
12. Still A Fool (Robert Randolph) (7:30)
13. Three Hundred Pounds Of Joy (Feat. The Rebirth Brass Band) (3:25)
14. Can You Hear Me (3:00)
15. Trick Bag (Feat. The Rebirth Brass Band) (3:39)

Goin' Home, Kenny Wayne Shepherd's seventh studio album, is all about going home in more ways than one. Now well closer to 40 years old than he is 30, Shepherd isn't the hot kid electric guitar prodigy he once was, but an experienced player who has taken his considerable guitar skills all around the globe and back again, back home to Shreveport, Louisiana, to be exact, his hometown, and where this set was recorded.

After flirting with a more contemporary, pop-influenced sound a couple of albums ago, Shepherd has firmly settled back into playing the blues, and on Goin' Home he pays tribute to his influences in that arena, covering songs by Albert King (the William Bell and Booker T. Jones-penned "Born Under a Bad Sign," "Breaking Up Somebody's Home"), Muddy Waters ("Still a Fool"), Magic Sam ("Everything Gonna Be Alright"), Stevie Ray Vaughan ("House Is Rockin'"), Bo Diddley (the Willie Dixon-penned "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover"), Freddie King ("Boogie Man," "Palace of the King"), and B.B. King ("You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now"), all backed by an all-star band of drummer Chris Layton (Double Trouble), bassist Tony Franklin (the Firm), and keyboardist Riley Osbourn (Willie Nelson), and featuring a host of guest spots from the Rebirth Brass Band, Keb’ Mo’, Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh, Warren Haynes, and Robert Randolph, that make this release feel as much like an event as an album.

Shepherd delivers blistering guitar leads, doesn't fuss over his vocals (admittedly his weakest musical component), and delivers a comfortable, warm, and perhaps wise return to where it all started. /Steve Leggett, AllMusic

Goin' Home (Limited Edition) mc
Goin' Home (Limited Edition) zippy

Sunday, July 3, 2016

Kenny Wayne Shepherd - Live! In Chicago (Special Edition)

Size: 222,3 MB
Time: 95:35
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2010
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Somehow, Somewhere, Someway ( 4:37)
02. King's Highway ( 7:02)
03. True Lies ( 5:54)
04. Deja Voodoo ( 7:03)
05. Sell My Monkey ( 4:18)
06. Dance For Me Girl ( 5:09)
07. Baby Don't Say That No More ( 6:00)
08. Eye To Eye ( 6:18)
09. How Many More Years ( 4:32)
10. Sick And Tired (Special Edition Version) ( 5:09)
11. Tina Marie ( 4:40)
12. Sitting On The top Of The World ( 4:56)
13. Feed Me ( 4:47)
14. Rocking Daddy ( 3:54)
15. Blue On Black ( 5:32)
16. I'm A King Bee (Special Edition Version) ( 4:39)
17. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) (10:58)

Kenny Wayne Shepherd and his group exploded on the scene in the mid-'90s and garnered huge amounts of radio airplay on commercial radio, which historically has not been a solid home for blues and blues-rock music, with the exception of Stevie Ray Vaughan in the mid-'80s. Shepherd was born June 12, 1977, in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Shreveport native began playing at age seven, figuring out Muddy Waters licks from his father's record collection (he has never taken a formal lesson). At age 13, he was invited on-stage by New Orleans bluesman Brian Lee and held his own for several hours; thus proving himself, he decided on music as a career. He formed his own band, which featured lead vocalist Corey Sterling, gaining early exposure through club dates and, later, radio conventions.

Shepherd's father/manager used his own contacts and pizzazz in the record business to help land his son a major-label record deal with Irving Azoff's Giant Records. Ledbetter Heights, his first album, was released two years later in 1995 and was an immediate hit, selling over 500,000 copies by early 1996. Most blues records never achieve that level of commercial success, much less ones released by artists who are still in their teens. Although Shepherd — who has been influenced by (and has sometimes played with) guitarists Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King, Slash, Robert Cray, and Duane Allman — is definitely a performer who thrives in front of an audience, Ledbetter Heights was impressive for its range of styles: acoustic blues, rockin' blues, Texas blues, Louisiana blues. The only style that he doesn't tackle is Chicago blues, owing to Shepherd's home base being smack dab in the middle of the Texas triangle.

Released in 1998, Trouble Is... earned a Grammy nomination and Live On followed a year later. In 2004 The Place You're In was released on Reprise Records, and was the first album to feature Shepherd doing the majority of the lead vocals (singer Noah Hunt handled the lead vocals on the previous two albums). Shepherd's next project saw him traveling in the American South with a documentary film crew and a portable recording studio as he backed up several veteran blues players on their home turf. The resulting album and film, 10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads, appeared in 2007 before Live! In Chicago followed in 2010. That November, Shepherd joined Jimmy Fallon's house band on TV for an evening, and performed with the same Fender Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix had played at Woodstock.

Although Shepherd had kept busy in the intervening years, 2011's How I Go was his first studio album proper in a seven-year period. In an attempt to revive the success enjoyed with 1998's Trouble Is..., he once again recruited Noah Hunt on vocals, as well as former Talking Heads keyboard player and guitarist Jerry Harrison, who had produced the sessions for that platinum-selling album. Shepherd followed How I Go with 2014's Goin' Home, a tribute to his musical heroes that featured contributions from artists such as Ringo Starr and Keb' Mo'. ~Steve Huey & Richard Skelly

MC