Make no mistake about it, Kenny Wayne Shepherd is not a solo artist, but the lead member of a band, and the band gives a haunting reminiscence of the classic blues-rocking unit Free. Vocalist Noah Hunt even sounds like a modernized Paul Rodgers, giving vintage blue eyed soul to the easy swing of “We All Right” and the dark shaded “Gravity.” The remaining cast of drummer Chris Layton, bassist Kevin McCormick and keyboardists Jimmy McGorman and Joe Krown thunder hard on “Woman Like You,” with Layton giving some Bonham like beats to the swampy “I Want You.”
Shepherd, for his part, gives a rich the Nashville themed “Tailwind” and gives a thick lather to “Long Time Running” while he gallups over the Memphis STAXY pulse of Buffalo Springfield’s “Mr. Soul.” The team gets churchy with some Hendrixy guitar over gospel organ on a thoughtful “Take It On Home” and the team slides on a slinky “Better With Time.” This band blows the blues as a unit.