Myles Kennedy aka Kevin Bacon in mild disguise is one hell of a musician. Known for his incredible vocal range, his impressive guitar playing and the way he transcends melodies, this man has made it in rock. When Axl Rose went on his semi-inebriated sabbatical from Chinese Democracy, Slash needed a Hail Mary. Someone who can reach the vocal range, and match the fire his guitar generates. Lo and behold, Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, making the top hat and aviators cool again. Excited for his first solo release after 6 years, this is The Art of Letting Go.
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Posterity is a bitch, if you’re human. Now this is the case with all music that has had some blood, sweat and tears going into it. Whether you’re manning a dock on stage or shredding the solo of Tornado of Souls at the correct tempo, you’re going to be compared. Myles Kennedy doesn’t need to worry, however. Just his vocal performances will have you do mental backflips into oblivion.
From Year of the Tiger, we waited for another acoustic album to show his mellow side. He was introvert, thinking deeply while also heading Alter Bridge. Walk the Sky came a year later and people wondered if he’s mortal. He then waltzed through some classic hard rock with Ides of March in 2021. Then came one of 2022s best albums, Pawns and Kings. They had skyrocketed back. Why am I obsessing over this man’s talent? That eclectic energy is something he seems to have carried onto this album.
From his opening single, you can hear the influence Slash and G’n’R have with the Alter Bridge flavour. Sure, we don’t have Tremonti’s flavourful distractions, but Myles Kennedy takes over in that realm. He gives us incredibly memorable and emotive solos, where you’re back to focusing on his powerful vocal range. Say What You Will is the single we have heard with the School of Rock styled video. The riff might be something you’ve heard in the lines of before, but packs the detailed punch it needs to.
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When he reaches Mr. Downside, you know that Myles Kennedy is all in for your rock fest super list. It is the kind of set list that doesn’t let your arms rest, horns up for the whole night. His choices of notes and riffs are things I’m sure he sings before he plays, for they divert from the traditional voicings of a guitar player.
So where are we after Ides of March? Myles Kennedy ditched his beautiful acoustic PRS for his signature electric and made some rocking hits that remind you of 90s rock. The rock he grew up with, idolised for the “don’t care” attitude. He amalgamates the lyrics with the real world we live in, themes about the duality of the mind and contrasts that we walk the grey of life with.
The positivity beams through in some songs, while he realises the whole spectrum has to be studied through music. Maybe not subconsciously, but he does it in his own polished style. One of the best performers of his generation, he chooses to express emotion through this quick paced tempo we live life through now. Each message blisters past, and his voice remains in your head, for the heartbreak they can cause. Riffs like Behind the Veil are remnant of the early Alter Bridge years, which were very dependent on Myles Kennedy and his guitar sound. Tremonti has his approach that became Creed’s sound, followed to a part of AB. Here, Myles is in his vocal best, not ageing a second after One Day Remains. It is the story of a musician who isn’t wanting to be relevant, but allows his music to speak for itself.
Bluesy reverbs punctuate songs like Saving Face, satire through music at its best. Not too much on the face, but can’t be mistaken for anything else as well. His bandmates have been the staunch support of the Kennedy sound, making an impressive, inclusive instrumental backdrop for his voice. Not just in what he sings, but the songs he has made so popular while connecting with listeners.
You listen to bangers like Dead to Rights and wonder what he achieves in the time with a band. It seems to be a working machine, aggressive yet passionate about what he sings for. This is the musician’s inspiration, competition and idol all in one. His original music is the reason he gets to go out in a whole new avatar, and still be celebrated as Bruce Wayne. This is while everyone knows what the caped crusader is worth to their world.
The way this album impacts you could be just another Myles Kennedy record, and nothing more to it. See the trajectory of his solo career, and you’ll know where he’s reached, all on his own. The music hooks you, and you’re not ready to let go:
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Self professed metalhead, moderately well read. If the music has soul, it's whole to me. The fact that my bio could have ended on a rhyme and doesn't should tell you a lot about my personality.
