Review: Kenny Wayne Shepherd – Dirt On My Diamonds Volume 2
Provogue / Mascot Label Group (September 20th 2024)
Reviewer: Peter Scallan
Kenny Wayne Shepherd is one of those artists that seems to have been about for an eternity as he started so young. That is because he has, with his first album coming out in 1995! During this time I have dipped in and out of his career and albums in the last ten years or so, the last one being ‘The Traveller‘ in 2019, which I thought was superb. This latest opus is Volume 2 of his last album in 2023, called ‘Dirt On My Diamonds Volume 2‘.
The opening track is called ‘I Got A Woman‘ and is a stomping rocker with Kenny on vocals himself. With the stomping bass line a driving drums throughout it has a great guitar lick and a catchy chorus. Next up is ‘The Middle‘ which has a funky groove and this time Noah Hunt takes on the lead vocals. Noah is the designated lead vocalist in the band, but as per the first Kenny takes the odd lead vocal. Hunt’s voice suits the funky groove and the chorus is again very catchy. The album then goes into a more old school blues vibe with a modern twist and Shepherd picks up the vocal on ‘My Guitar Is Crying‘. For me, this is the standout track on the album the lead vocal is outstanding! We return to a more melodic blues rock rocker with lead vocals handed back to Hunt. It is a simple rocker with built around some crashing guitar chords entitled ‘Long Way Down‘ and is simple and highly effective.
‘Never Made It To Memphis‘ is an another blues rocker, which I believe was the single from the album. Shepherd returns to lead vocals and the song builds round another great riff. It does make me wonder why Kenny has another vocalist as he has a great voice in his own right and the evidence of this track alone. Some twelve-bar blues is rolled out on ‘Watch You Go‘ and the vocal baton is passed back to Hunt. The horn section and organ playing raises what should be simple twelve bar blues to something a little special, as does the chorus hook. The funk returns on ‘Pressure‘ with a really funky guitar, keys and bass parts with Shepherd returning on lead vocals. The horns also add to the funkiness of the track also. Sadly, this album only has eight track and the last song is a cover of ZZ Top’s ‘She Loves My Automobile‘. Hunt returns on lead vocals and this song is built around Shepherd’s blues-soaked lead guitar part.
I haven’t listened to Volume 1 of this instalment much, but I will go back and give a spin again. However, I don’t recall the songs on that album having the same impact on me as this collection. I do remember thinking the album was a light on content, which would be my only criticism of this album. It just ended too soon for my liking! With all the great vocals, songs, guitar playing and choruses – there just wasn’t enough for me! But they do say you should always leave your audience wanting more and I am now eagerly wating for Volume 3!
Tracklist:
1. I Got A Woman
2. The Middle
3. My Guitar Is Crying
4. Long Way Down
5. Never Made It To Memphis
6. Watch You Go
7. Pressure
8. She Loves My Automobile
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