KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD – DIRT ON MY DIAMONDS vol. 1 – ProVogue

Released November 17 2023

I have a theory about the evolution of our musical taste, we grow up listening to the music our parents love, it’s what we emulate; as teenagers we find our tribes and are influenced by our contemporaries, but there also the more subtle influences of radio and TV providing favourite songs that take us to happy times, but don’t always fit our repertoire. Combined these are what becomes the foundation of our lifelong musical preferences. As we grow older, we discover new genres and sub genres, eventually taking musical instruction from our children. The result is that by the time we reach our forties and onwards we have spread our musical net wide and our influences are broad and varied. The evolution of influences becomes most audible when you attach the principal to musicians and if I had to choose an album to demonstrate my theory ‘Dirt on my Diamonds would be it.
Born in the mid seventies KWS father was a DJ on the local radio station playing all the mainstream hits of the day, but at home listening to Blues Rock and Country, the likes of ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Willie Nelson. Add into the mix the plethora of Radio stations and the accessible Rock of the MTV led eighties and you start to get to the roots of ‘Dirt On My Diamonds’.

Title track and opener ‘Dirt on my Diamonds‘ is Blues with a smattering of Country, filled out with horns and seasoned with some nice guitar fills. Lyrically the sentiment that it’s the little imperfections that make something interesting is one we can all get behind.

‘Sweet and Low’ is on obvious single, starting off with a jazz horn intro it launches into a hooky, catchy, steering wheel tapper. It’s high on the hooks, has the sleaziest wah sounds, and Joe Krown’s Hammond provides a harmony to the vocals that gives the track richness and depth.

On an album of strong songs ‘Best of Times’ is undoubtedly the earworm. Noah Hunt sings the verses and KWS comes in with the infectious chorus’. For me it totally evoked the spirit of the MTV age: accessible rock, with a yell out loud chorus that could be the summer soundtrack for any small town teen.

We drift more into Country Rock with ‘You Can’t Love Me’, the vocal twang makes it authentic, the clean Stratocaster sound makes it sweet, and the ‘you have to love yourself’ lyric is maybe one we all need to hear; it certainly sits comfortably with ‘there’s nothing wrong with imperfections’ theme.

Noah Hunt takes lead on ‘Man On A Mission’, a gently upbeat song uplifted by the glorious horns soaring away in the back of the song. The solo flies over the top and the whole creates a grooving sway of a song.

Making my point that some popular songs of our youth become absorbed then beloved is the rocky rendition of Elton John’s ‘Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting’. It manages to transfer the strong piano riffs of the original to the guitar riffs of this cover without missing a beat, while the piano keeps the jangle. In the 50 years since the original it hasn’t lost any energy as it manically speeds its way to an almighty guitar frenzy finish.

‘Bad Intentions’ has the grooving rhythm reminiscent of T Rex but overlaid with some bad ass blues, searing, soulful guitar sills and solos.

Final track ‘Ease My Mind’ is more Blues Rock for the purist. The Blues rhythm, overlaid with clean notes full of feel and emotion, and a more sombre lyric. The Hammond/Leslie combo always attaches music to your soul, even if you don’t know why. It can only be described as seven minutes of magnificence.

‘Dirt On My Diamonds’ is a sumptuous album of Blues Rock that pulls on a lifetime of influences and melds them all together making it very approachable, modern album. This is no slouch, in a time of one-track downloads this is an album of eight one-track downloads, it has no weak points or filler. The title Volume 1 indicates there is another to follow, I hope Volume 2 is as Glorious as Volume 1.

Track List: