Album Review: Myles Kennedy - The Ides Of March

I appreciate that Myles Kennedy wants his solo career to be something quite different than everything else we've heard from him. He was putting out records to frequently between Alter Bridge and Slash's solo band that I was growing a bit tired of hearing him, but more than that I was confused how we was able to keep churning out new melodies. I am not a songwriter on the professional level, but burnout is a very real thing, and there are only so many songs you can write in a short amount of time before you start repeating yourself. There's one musician who scoffed when I questioned his productivity who has taken a precipitous decline in how many records he has been releasing lately, so I take that as an indication I know what I'm talking about.

So while I appreciate what Myles is after, I have to say his first solo album left me cold. I'm not sure if it was the bluesier folk approach, or if those songs didn't allow his melodic sense to shine through, but I found it a tiresome album that felt far longer than it really was. This album has been said to take a step toward mixing in a bit more of his other gigs, which can only be a welcome development.

Right off the bat, "Get Along" opens with a blues stomp powered by rock and roll. It's already a more energetic record, and Myles slips into a melodic section that is gorgeous. If that was the chorus of the song, and built up just a bit more, I would be thrilled. However, he then segues the song into what he considers the hook, and it's more cliche and less engaging to my ears. The song weaves between moments of greatness and moments where he focus is misguided.

When Myles is working in the confines of marrying lush melodies to bluesy backdrops, he produces some great material. "A Thousand Words" is wonderful, integrating the influences he can't use anywhere else, and giving him a sound that is unique from the heavier rock he usually sings. It also helps find the right range for his voice. Myles has a powerful instrument, but there's something about his tone on the softer and more emotional moments that doesn't seem to work for me. Keeping the songs a bit more rock helps smooth out those bits.

The title track is a venture into prog, as the song traverses different tones as it shifts from section to section. Unlike a lot of prog, however, Myles makes sure that several of those moments have strong and memorable melodies that serve as mile markers along the seven-plus minute ride. He isn't content to amaze us with his willingness to go on a more varied ride, he still gives us a song that calls for our attention. There are far too many writers unwilling, or incapable, of doing that.

The dirty slide guitar of "In Stride" is a lot of fun, and Myles' acoustic guitar figure starting off "Love Rain Down" is beautiful. More than just a good player, he proves himself a tasteful player as well, focused on adding parts that mean something. He doesn't play for the flash and attention. Restraint is a hard thing to master. There are countless examples of guitarists, and singers, who never got the message.

Ultimately, I'm left straddling the divide. I hear exactly what Myles is going for on this record, and there is a lot of impressive work being done. I find this to be a huge leap forward from his first solo album, and it's pretty fantastic at hitting its mark. That being said, I have never felt the pull of the blues, so there is much about this record I'm never going to be able to embrace the way a lot of people will. Still, I can recognize an accomplished record when I hear one, even if it doesn't quite fit my taste. That's the case here. Myles Kennedy is now carving out an identity as a solo artist, and it feel much more real this time around.