Three years on from his last solo album The Ides Of March, Myles Kennedy returns with The Art Of Letting Go and finally lets loose on a solo album. While 2018s Year Of The Tiger had a folk focus and The Ides Of March blues, The Art Of Letting Go sees Myles back in much more familiar territory.
Not completely shaking the folk and blues undertones, The Art Of Letting Go kicks things up a level with much heavier tones and a feel closer to that of Alter Bridge. Full of chunky riffs and songs that brood in verses before exploding in the chorus – it’s signature Myles Kennedy.
Like most things involving Myles Kennedy, the best instrument on the album is his voice. Probably one of the most recognisable voices in rock, you’d struggle to find someone who isn’t impressed by Kennedy’s vocals. From the first track to the last, he switches between soft lullaby like vocals to giant rock and roll shrieks that never fail to amaze.
Opening with the title track, the album begins with Myles and drummer Zia Uddin going blow for blow before heading into a foot stomping intro riff. From the start, the three piece band consisting of Kennedy, Uddin and bassist Tim Tournier fire on all cylinders beginning 40 minutes of non-stop hard rock.
The bluesy tones of the last album aren’t completely lost with there still elements scattered throughout this album. ‘Say What You Will’ starts off with a crunchy blues riff and then there’s ‘Behind The Veil’. Maybe the best track on the album, ‘Behind The Veil’ has a bit of everything starting off slowly and building into an almost 6 minute beast of song.
As with his previous solo albums, there’s a mix of both soft and heavy tracks, except this time even the softer tracks feel like they’ve been dialled up. This album is less about experimenting in genres and more just pure rock and roll groove.
‘Mr Downside’, ‘Saving Face’ and ‘Dead To Rights’ capture the tone of the album perfectly. Heavy riffs, huge leads, pounding drums and growling bass all accompanied by Kennedy’s ripping vocals and a serious dose of rock and roll swagger. The band mean business.
For a man who is up to his 19th album, The Art Of Letting Go feels the most “Myles Kennedy” of them all. At this point, Myles Kennedy is a hard rock powerhouse and on The Art Of Letting Go he solidifies that status. Turning up the volume, the album is a departure from his first two solo albums – yet it’s his best.
