Myles Kennedy
The Art Of Letting Go

Myles Kennedy is not just an extraordinary guitarist and songwriter, he is also a tireless worker. Twenty years of success with Alter Bridge and another twelve alongside Slash (& The Conspirators), with whom he has released four excellent albums, have not prevented him from asking for more.

That “more” has always been the most complicated part of the matter. There was at stake the most intimate side of the talented guitar master from Spokane, Washington. There has always been his shyness, defused by the division of tasks with his talented colleagues, those Creed members orphaned by Scott Stapp, searching for a new frontman of their caliber. Perhaps it was Mark Tremonti's brilliant solo experience, his partner in strings in Alter Bridge, that convinced Kennedy to take the step. Perhaps it was the awareness of having an incredible personal talent, thirsty for new nourishment. The fact is that doubts have ultimately turned into certainties.

“The Art Of Letting Go” is the third stop on this solo journey, following the concept album “Year of the Tiger” from 2018 and its successor, “The Ides of March”, from 2021. While the first was born as an intimate and personal record, the second travels on southern rock notes, with country nuances, leaving a door wide open to the future.

For this latest new release, the collaboration with bassist Tim Tournier and veteran drummer Zia Uddin has been crucial. The two enriched the work, especially in its live dimension, to which the entire composition of the record was addressed. In the record, Kennedy decided to include long solos, fertile parentheses for chorality, and in general, riffs of great impact. All of this, combined with the importance of having to sing and wield the only guitar on stage, made everything much more challenging, making the presence of two valuable backing members obligatory.

The title of the new album is in itself already very eloquent and tells us the soul of the ten tracks. The thread is peace of mind, the ability not to be contaminated by problems, criticism, and negativity, pursuing one's goals in serenity. Achieving our dreams, doing what we love, straight to the goal. A concept that Kennedy has made his personal bulwark after thirty years of inspiration, with the awareness of living a magical dimension like the solo one, not exempt from possible doubts and external criticisms.

Not surprisingly, the work opens with the title track, guided by blues sounds and riffs that bring to mind the typical style displayed in the decades-long collaboration with Slash. Something that will happen more markedly with the second track, “Say What You Will”, through the syncopated rhythm of the percussion and the ingenuity in vocals.

“Behind The Veil” is openly Kennedy's favorite piece, who wanted to insert two solos into the score, to be amplified at will once on stage. The illusion of harmony, perpetrated by a pizzicato in the opening, briefly leads us elsewhere, into a dark mid-tempo dimension that culminates in the masterpiece. “Eternal Lullaby” maintains a high emotional level. Sweet and delicate, it caresses the soul and contains a dedication from the author to all those talents of the past that have inspired him and continue to do so, wherever they may be.

“Mr.Downside” and “Miss You When You’re Gone”, with different intents and peculiarities, seem to have been ripped from the near future of Alter Bridge. Both remind us, if needed, of Myles Kennedy's boundless vocal talent, reaching dizzying peaks on the refrains.

As it continues, one has the immediate and never premature sensation of having an extremely mature and focused album in hand, especially for the depth of the lyrics and the quality of the arrangements.

The absolute power comes to us through “Saving Face”, “Dead To Rights”, and “Nothing More To Gain”. The latter, with its galloping and once again syncopated rhythm, brings us back to the sounds typical of bands like “Queen of the Stone Age”, taking us elsewhere for a moment.

During a recent interview, Kennedy recounted having drawn inspiration from cinema during the drafting of the tracks. This is witnessed by “How The Story Ends”, which closes the ten tracks. The song, with a title very useful to the cause, moves on oriental sounds through sitar notes and echoes the vision of the feature film “Speak no Evil”, through orchestral episodes and choral parentheses.

Ultimately, “The Art Of Letting Go” is the reaching of the highest point of the peak and the virtual closure of a trilogy made of heterogeneity and absolute quality. Reflecting on Kennedy's hesitance and the fears that hovered around this great ambition of his, we can only attribute another enormous merit to him. A merit in which even the omnipresent Michael “Elvis” Baskette is not exempt, a competent and virtuous producer always alongside Mr. Kennedy and Alter Bridge, with whom he has been able to share countless successes.

Praiseworthy is the art of letting go, but even more precious is that of knowing how to continue. Continuing to produce hits, always guided by an unbridled and innate passion. With conviction and without any fear of the future.