Trouble Is...

After releasing a debut that drew raves from people such as James Brown and B.B. King, Kenny Wayne Shepherd followed it up with an album that demonstrates how much musical growth this childhood prodigy has experienced in two years. On TROUBLE IS..., Shepherd's playing still reflects the huge influence of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan (particularly on the instrumental title track that finds him joined by Double Trouble and Reese Winans), but new singer Noah Hurt also colours everything with a growl reminiscent of Paul Rodgers.
Moving slightly away from the country-blues of LEDBETTER HEIGHTS, Shepherd's strong rhythmic touch shines on everything from juke-joint exercises ("[Long] Gone" with James Cotton) to the transformation of Dylan's "Everything's Broken" into a roadhouse rave-up. Although this Shreveport native's guitar lends itself to more up-tempo material (check out "Chase The Rainbow"), slower songs are where the 20-year old digs deep into the heart of the blues. The pure emotion found in "Blue On Black" and "I Found Love (When I Found You)" shows that Shepherd can carry on the legacy of the blues for many years to come.|