ALBUM REVIEW: The Art Of Letting Go – Myles Kennedy
The art of letting go is the act of freeing ourselves from mental anguish which affects our lives in a detrimental way, wherever it may lay on the spectrum of suffering. Enter our scene’s most trusted bard; MYLES KENNEDY who has outdone himself with his own suite of emotional emancipation.
Following Year Of The Tiger (2018) and The Ides Of March (2021), The Art Of Letting Go spans ten tracks that have us purging our most spiritual selves. The statement may be nothing new for longtime fans of the ALTER BRIDGE frontman. KENNEDY’s work with SLASH AND THE CONSPIRATORS also sheds more than enough light on that subject. Yet the ongoing evolution of MYLES KENNEDY has hit a new peak as he masters the art of letting go.
The titular opener is a statement of intent. This is a MYLES KENNEDY project but perhaps not how the solo brand has been experienced before. Where The Ides Of March touched upon the notion of blooming analogue sounds, this album fully leans in. “Just be like water and decide how you’ll ride the wave this time” ebbs and flows wonderfully with a blues tinged riff that would feel at home with SLASH circa Apocalyptic Love (2012). When paired with a grit which could only come from a band like ALTER BRIDGE and mixed with a little finesse, it quickly becomes apparent KENNEDY seeks to forge his own path.
Say What You Will spins the yarn of someone “seduced by the game no more”. Whether that is autobiographical is open to interpretation but the aggression behind drummer Zia Uddin’s driving beat is very telling. While aggressive for a MYLES KENNEDY record, we feel some resistance to the delivery. The bridge peters the song out for a moment but it’s quick to recover. “I dare to be more than what you are” oozes with a determination to embrace the change so many would shy away from. It’s this sentiment which drives The Art Of Letting Go. Change is good. Filled with a smokiness ZZ TOP relished in, KENNEDY strives to be his own man, even if that means leaving the comfort zone far behind him.
That said, there will be some comparison between this material and ALTER BRIDGE’s catalogue. It’s only natural. Thus there’s a danger of becoming ALTER BRIDGE-lite. KENNEDY’s Mr Downside could easily be interchangeable with the latter’s Stay from Pawns And Kings (2022). An ode to “a voice worth saving”, Mr Downside stands defiant in the face of negativity. It settles into a steady groove which would have a live arena captivated. Much like the aforementioned Stay, it’s an upbeat ballad with bright tones and solemn subject matter. In the interest of progression, KENNEDY’s voice pushes beyond any ALTER BRIDGE performance and leaves us floored. Perhaps in preparation for Miss You When You’re Gone. Another brightly lit view on sadness, the quarter mark introduces the sentiment of embracing the impermanence life comes with. We and KENNEDY will dwell more on that in a moment. The track is driven by its drum beat as if we are forced to face one the hardest notions we experience; the loss of relationships. Not through death but simply drifting apart. The seeming people pleaser “gained the world only to lose yourself” whilst throwing what really matters, the connections we make, to the wind. There is a reason we hold KENNEDY in such high esteem and that is his ability to tell a story in the most evocative of ways.
Jumping ahead slightly, there is no better example of this than Eternal Lullaby. Simple guitars and layered vocals make for a warm yet haunting introduction to an experience we feel unable to convey with words alone. To attempt to do so would be a disservice to KENNEDY. He forces us to confront the hardest goodbye and the cruellest impermanence. Nuances of grief settle in the softest guitar notes. Solos emulate the most painful yet silent of screams. When “a million hearts will beat in time to an aching melody” – that melody will be Eternal Lullaby’s.
Before the emotional devastation however, we are greatest with possibly one of the greatest songs to emerge from KENNEDY’s solo catalogue; Behind The Veil. A sensuous guitar-driven track paves the way for low and slow vocals. “The Devil cracks a smile, reveals the debt you owe” allows KENNEDY to explore the depths and tones his vocals can reach. As KENNEDY has grown as a songwriter, so too has his ability to strip a façade in convincing fashion. Exposing people as “dust and bones” beneath the pageantry and labelling them hollow after “all the moments we trade”, his songwriting is proving to be second to none. This also comes with the composition and how effortlessly his man can present the skeletal introduction of guitar picking, and fill the body with sibilance from cymbals and flesh the corporeal existence with a droning guitar tone which blooms into a melody we can only describe as whiskey stained.
The Art Of Letting Go permits MYLES KENNEDY to shed his skin and evolve into the musician we hear with this record. An effortless story teller. A man who could deliver the sermon on the mount and people would flock in their thousands to hear him preach “don’t second guess the first chance” as he does in driving Saving Face. Tim Tournier’s fuzzy bass tones rattle through the skull and we find ourselves thinking this is the musician MYLES KENNEDY was always destined to become.
There are some pitfalls to the record but they are incredibly minor and perhaps an exercise in being pedantic. Nothing More To Gain suffers slightly in Eternal Lullaby’s wake. For a playthrough or two, the “whispers of darkness” fall on deaf ears. The grinding guitars and wonderful bounce to the chorus simply state this is a grower not a shower. Set against the undulating darkness of Dead To Rights, we’re reminded of a previous incarnation of KENNEDY in ALTER BRIDGE’s Crows On A Wire. Yet here, KENNEDY drops inhibitions and takes command of the track. With lines such as “I’m nobody’s fool” and “Self-respect is overrated anyway”, it isn’t just the musicianship that has sharpened over time.
The album ends on a wonderfully ominous note with How The Story Ends. Cracks of bass burn like the impact of a whip. Layered vocals send chills through the spine. How The Story Ends is simply a treasure trove which will drive listeners back to see what else they can discover. In doing this, it allows the track to come into its own, much like KENNEDY himself has over the years. As we’ve said previously, there are some moments in which we feel some hesitance but the tail end to this story is an incredibly fitting close to a sublimely constructed album.
The Art Of Letting Go is the aural evolution of MYLES KENNEDY as it happens in real time. Many will say the third time’s the charm and that is more than the case in this situation. MYLES KENNEDY has carved a path of his own and set that trail ablaze. With his blend of evocative storytelling, crisp musicianship, and the willingness to push himself ever further, MYLES KENNEDY has delivered his finest solo album to date.
Rating: 9/10
The Art Of Letting Go is set for release on October 11th via Napalm Records.
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