Myles Kennedy's 'The Ides of March' - Album Review

I think that it is fair to say that, over the past decade or so, Myles Kennedy has become one of the best-loved rock singers of recent times. While he got his start as part of The Mayfield Four throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was when he helped to found Alter Bridge with three quarters of Creed in 2004 that he really started to get noticed. Due to their excellent songwriting skills and their accessible, yet hard rocking, sound Alter Bridge rose through the ranks quickly. By the time that their third album AB III was released in 2010, the band were already packing out venues like the Hammersmith Apollo here in the UK - and on the next tour they were filling arenas. Some bands just seem to catch on in a big way, and Alter Bridge are one of those bands - and Kennedy's excellent vocal style is part of the reason for the band's enduring popularity. Despite Alter Bridge's stature however, Kennedy is a well-known musician in his own right - partly down to his constantly growing discography. Another reason, in my opinion anyway, is also because of his general attitude. He has always been very modest about his abilities, and seems to be quite a grounded and low-key person despite his popularity - but this contributes to him being such a likeable artist. With arena rock bands often being full of divas, Kennedy seems to be the exact opposite. He is endearing in that regard, and this is something that translates into his music - whether with Alter Bridge, his work with Slash, or on his solo albums. Perhaps surprisingly, prior to last month Kennedy had only released one solo album. The wish to record a solo album had been something that he had talked about a number of times, but I presume that his busy schedules with both Alter Bridge and Slash made it difficult to dedicate time to the project. In 2018 however, Kennedy's first solo album Year of the Tiger (which I reviewed here) was released - and in some ways it was quite a departure from the norm. While many of Kennedy's songwriting tropes were evident throughout Year of the Tiger, the low-key acoustic approach was very different from the arena/hard rock sounds that his fans were used to. The quieter sounds fit the deeply personal concept that was woven throughout the album however, and it was unsurprisingly a hit among his fans as a result. When time has been dedicated to a solo album once, it can become a habit it seems; and last month Kennedy released his second solo effort The Ides of March. Perhaps the enforced COVID-19 shutdowns helped him to find the time for the album, but either way The Ides of March is another strong solo effort. Despite being much more rock-orientated than Year of the Tiger, the organic sound featured throughout Kennedy's 2018 debut is still present here. There is a raw, bluesy feel to much of the album - with his excellent voice and plenty of slide guitar filling the album's 11 songs.

The difference between Kennedy's two solo albums is apparent from the off, as the album's opening song Get Along is certainly much meatier than anything found on Year of the Tiger. While Kennedy handles all of the guitars and keyboards throughout, as on the last album he is joined by his manager Tim Tournier on bass guitars and Zia Uddin (The Mayfield Four) on drums. The two guests have a lot more of a presence on The Ides of March due to the album's harder rocking tones, and the three make for a capable unit. Get Along has strong Led Zeppelin vibes throughout, and opens with a stop-start riff that makes great use of Uddin's hollow drum sound - while Kennedy lays down some tasteful slide guitar over the top. Led Zeppelin's mix of rock and more acoustic sounds is present too, with the song's verses taking on a more low-key approach more akin to Year of the Tiger - before the chorus sees the song explode into a heavier riff. The chorus is not too different in style from something that could sit nicely on an Alter Bridge album - but it is infused with a more organic sound overall. A chaotic, bluesy guitar solo rounds things off nicely - and the album is off to a powerful start as a result. Despite the album as a whole taking a rockier approach, there is still a fair amount of variety here however. The Ides of March is not just Alter Bridge light, or played through a bluesier filter, and A Thousand Words is a great example of this. The song has shades of country rock throughout, with a strong acoustic guitar presence and an earnest chorus, but there are also spiky riffs and some frenetic drumming to be found. The song builds on the sound forged on Year of the Tiger, so the relative heaviness found throughout sounds natural. The song is also home to lots of excellent guitar work from Kennedy, with a couple of soaring solos showcasing his talents as a guitarist. In Stride sees Kennedy in full on blues mode, but retains the organic heaviness from the previous couple of numbers. There is so much slide guitar to be found throughout the album, but In Stride is possibly the album's real showcase for the instrument. The main slide guitar riff is a fuzzy delight, while Tournier and Uddin lock in perfectly for a heavy groove that keeps the song moving at a tight and energetic pace. The subtle use of Hammond organ throughout the track too, particularly during the choruses, helps to further add depth - as well as doubling down on the song's overall old-school organic hard rock sound.

After opening the album with three hard rocking pieces, the album's lengthy title track sees the approach shift somewhat. Despite its low-key sound, Year of the Tiger was still quite a cinematic album in places. The Ides of March's title track expands on that side of Year of the Tiger somewhat, and goes down more of an atmospheric route than the album's first three songs. Kennedy sings the song largely in a much softer way, although he does let rip a little during the choruses, and the guitars throughout are much more acoustic-based - with layers of electric guitars creating a deep atmosphere rather than playing riffs for the most part. Subtle keyboards and the excellent bass playing of Tournier add further depth, while plenty of space is given over to whimsical and laid back guitar soloing. Despite making more of a hard rock album this time around, it is good to see that Kennedy has not totally abandoned the sound from his 2018 solo debut. There is always a place for more acoustic-based songwriting, and the way that the sound has been expanded upon here makes the song a very interesting listen. Wake Me When It's Over picks up the pace again with a frenetic main riff that is packed full of old-school rock energy - which is only enhanced by Uddin's hollow drum sound. Acoustic guitars once again dominate the verses, despite the fast-paced drumming, but on the whole the track is quite a hard-hitting piece. The chorus once again has shades of Alter Bridge's anthemic style to be found, but without the band's usual epic wall-of-sound approach. There are moments throughout this album that sound like a barroom version of Alter Bridge, which works really well. There is enough in these songs to differentiate them from Kennedy's day job - but there are certainly more similarities this time than there were throughout Year of the Tiger. Love Rain Down is the album's first true ballad, and returns to the lower-key sounds of the album's title track - but with even more focus on acoustic guitars and atmosphere. Tournier and Uddin's presence is much more akin to their subtle contributions to Year of the Tiger this time, and in fact the song sounds like it could have been an outtake from those sessions due to its similar overall arrangement and acoustic-based sound. Subtle slide guitars add some melodic depth however, and on the whole the song is a great change of pace from the album's more hard rocking core. Tell It Like It Is is a great dirty blues piece that is packed with more strong slide guitar playing and infectious grooves. The build-up of the song's intro is very reminiscent of classic blues tracks of the 1930s and 1940s, while the bulk of the main song recalls artists like Johnny Winter with their hard-hitting riff-based take on the classic blues sound. Kennedy has a great voice for this kind of material, with his expressive style perfect for the emotional punch of the blues. The song is a rip-roaring treat as a result, and very catchy.

Moonshot pairs things back a little, and returns to the slightly more cinematic sound of the album's title track. It is perhaps less atmospheric and more blues-orientated however, with more great slide guitar playing adding depth. The chorus again goes for a slightly anthemic approach, with the song's slower pace giving it something of a folky, shanty-esque feel which works well despite how silly that description perhaps sounds. The song is very hooky as a result, as are many of the cuts here, and the campfire blues rock vibe works well in its favour - and helps to set it apart from the rest of the album. Wanderlust Begins continues on the relatively low-key vibe of the previous song, but harks back to the Year of the Tiger sound in a bigger way with some jaunty acoustic guitar lines, simple percussion, and a subtle keyboard backing. Slide guitar is still used occasionally to add depth to the keyboard textures, but on the whole this a very simple guitar and vocal piece. Kennedy's voice really is pushed to the fore here, with his bluesy tones shining as a result. This was the goal of Year of the Tiger, but The Ides of March generally goes for a different approach that also focuses on the songs' hard rock riffing and solos. It is nice, therefore, that Wanderlust Begins allows Kennedy's voice to be the focus again - and the simple song is a moment of calm in what is largely a much groovier album. Sifting Through the Fire picks up the pace again somewhat, and sounds like a bit of a less heavy version of In Stride with its organic rock sound and drum groove. It is not as brash as In Stride, but the overall pace and feel of the song is quite similar - with Kennedy pushing himself a little more vocally and laying down some dirty bluesy guitar leads throughout the song, including a great solo. There are more acoustic-based moments here too, but on the whole the piece is much more rocking - helped by Uddin's punchy drumming. The album comes to a close with Worried Mind, a song that starts out slowly but builds up over time to a powerful crescendo. Slow guitar melodies accompany Kennedy's voice early on, but Tournier and Uddin soon join in to add some depth and rhythm - and as they do the song slowly opens up with more slide guitar melodies. The song's evolution throughout sounds very natural, and I really like how it builds up. There is a lot of space for Kennedy to show off his guitar playing too, with some excellent soloing coming in the song's mid-section. There are few strong solos throughout the album, but this one sees him really letting rip - which fits perfectly as the song transitions into its heavier closing section, complete with a great bluesy rhythmic stomp. Due to the song's structure, and its hard-hitting ending, it acts as a great closing number. In many ways the song includes elements of all of the ground covered on the album - and it ensures that it ends on a high as a result. As much as I enjoyed Year of the Tiger three years ago, I think that I personally prefer The Ides of March thanks to its more hard rocking sound and the great bluesy vibes that are present throughout. It is another great album to add to Kennedy's vast and a diverse discography, and anyone who loves raw, bluesy rock should find plenty to enjoy here.

The album was released on 14th March 2021 via Napalm Records. Below is Kennedy's promotional video for In Stride.