Album Review: Kenny Wayne Shepherd gives us Vol. 2 of Dirt On My Diamonds, his epic 'virtual' double album.

US blues-rock guitar wizard, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, along with his band, have unveiled the second half of the Dirt On My Diamonds project.

Following on from Dirt On My Diamonds Vol. 1, which was released back in November of 2023, Vol. 2 sees Shepherd assemble a further 8 tracks, all of which were written at the same recording sessions for the November release. While all of the song-writing produced enough tracks for a double album, certain songs seemingly had a distinctly different groove and feel, and thus Vol 2 was born.

As Kenny Wayne states, “When I started writing all of these songs, I started to see two individual identities emerge. You’ll hear the same spirit across both albums, but the songs, sounds and grooves are very different. Because of the way that people live and consume music now, we decided to stagger the releases – but it’s essentially a double album. We had creative momentum on our side, so we just wanted to keep it rolling.”

”The track listing for each album came into focus the more we started to complete different songs. You ask yourself, ‘What will take the listener on a cohesive musical journey?”

“These are two unique albums that stand on their own, but together, I think they make for such a compelling package. We’ve had tremendous success in my career so far, and I’m so surprised and grateful for that. But even now, I still feel like there’s always more to explore musically. I just want to keep pushing the limits…

Dirt On My Diamonds, Vol. 2 sees a strong emphasis on the horn section arrangements, achieving a freshness and strong point-of-difference to the first album in the duology.

The opening track on this latest outing, I Got A Woman, is a foot-stomping rollick which consummately marries the punch of the guitar riff and horns with the electrifying solos played on his signature Fender Stratocaster and anthemic lyrics.

The Middle continues the strong focus of the horn section, while My Guitar Is Crying slows the tempo and reflects on Shepherd’s feelings about times in his life where he felt that the only thing there for him was his guitar.

The mood then moves into heavier territory with the gritty Long Way Down, before heading into some lyrical subject matter that encapsulates Kenny Wayne’s love of classic muscle cars (as evidenced by the album covers on both Part 1 and Part 2) on Never Made It To Memphis. A searing solo is surrounded by the tale of a man pursuing a girl all across the United States, making many wrong turns along the way before finally ending up with her.

Watch You Go has a tongue-in-cheek nod to the saying “‘I hate to see you leave, but I sure do love to watch you go” and unleashes some of the more attention-grabbing guitar on the album, with the guitar run through a Leslie speaker giving it a highly distinctive sound and feel, and is in complete contrast to the guitar tone elsewhere on the album.

If any track shows the continued musical growth in Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s and his band’s journey, it is in Pressure, a funky track built around a groove-laden bass-line and sparkling horns. This one is sure to get the crowds up and dancing when this is unveiled live.

The final track is a marvellous cover of ZZ Top’s, She Loves My Automobile, and once again is not only a firm nod to the muscle cars that are inextricably part of Kenny Wayne’s life, but also to the music of his formative years.

Dirt On My Diamonds Vol. 2 is a testament to the longevity of Kenny Wayne Shepherd starting from his beginnings back in 1995 with the release of Ledbetter Heights to the current day.