Review KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD BAND ‘Trouble is…25’

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd began playing the guitar at the age of seven and has been fascinated by the 6-stringed instrument ever since. Countless blues rock albums tell the musical story of the exceptional guitarist, who delivered a remarkable debut with ‘Ledbetter Heights’ in 1995. Two years later followed ‘Troube is…’ with which Shepherd established his position.

25 years later, the moment has come to pay tribute to this album, as it was largely decisive for the further career of the musician. On the one hand, there is the hot ‘Blue on Black’ which brought Shepherd into the Billboard Hot 100. However, it would be presumptuous to reduce the sophomore album to this song only.

Tracks like the pulsating ‘(Long) Gone’ show the whole fascination of blues rock and the fact that Shepherd is not only a gifted guitarist but also an excellent singer gives the tunes on ‘Trouble is…’; but also the other albums of the exceptional artist, an extra push when it comes to authenticity. On songs like ‘King’s Highway’, guitar and vocal chords sing in a way that complements each other brilliantly.

The self-penned songs on ‘Troube is…’ are joined by the covers, starting with Bob Dylan’s ‘Everything is Broken’, followed by ‘I Don’t Live Today’ that was written by guitar wizard Jimi Hendrix. It takes courage to approach such songs at a young age. But since Shepherd combines skill and heart, nothing stands in the way of successful interpretations of these classics. The same is valid for ‘Nothing to do With Love’, from Bonnie Tyler, to which Shepherd gives a very own musical touch, without deviating from the feeling and expression of the original.

‘Trouble is…’ brought Kenny Wayne Shepherd everything but trouble. It was the starting point of a unique musical career which seems to have no end in sight. To pay tribute to such an album is more than logical and should be a treat for fans. This 25 years anniversary version is completely re-recorded and has lost nothing of its radiance even a quarter century after its initial launch.