Kenny Wayne Shepherd's latest album is a compilation release, a CD/DVD blues tour-de-force entitled "10 Days Out." The record takes its name from the documentary nature of its creation. For 10 days, Shepherd traveled around the South with a recording crew, film director and his personal guitar in an attempt to record raw footage of some of the biggest names in blues.
The result is a dream team including artists such as B.B. King, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and Honeyboy Edwards. While the music itself is pretty standard blues fare, the part that will really catch fans' attention is the documentary on the included DVD. If you're interested in going beyond the music and actually learning about the people who made these tracks, your appetite is sure to be sated.
Shepherd is certainly well-versed in the blues. At the age of 7, he taught himself how to play guitar by studying legend Muddy Waters' technique from his father's record collection. At the age of 13, he was receiving critical acclaim for his guitar skills during his circuit of the Southern club scene. In 1995, when Shepherd was still in high school, he released his first album, "Ledbetter Heights," which subsequently went platinum. His next two albums, "Trouble Is" and "Live On," not only went platinum but were both nominated for Grammy awards.
Honestly though, if you're that much a blues fan, you probably already know about "10 Days Out," and you might even own it. For you, this album will not provide entertainment for hours on end, but it will signal Shepherd's return to blues after his 2004 release of the rock album "The Place You're In." The record's new direction, while earning Shepherd acclaim from critics, turned off many of his earlier fans.
The real question is whether or not people who aren't blues fans should listen to "10 Days Out," and my answer is easy: no. I'll admit it; I'm not a blues fan myself. When I read the album's label with the previously mentioned artists' names in bold print, all I thought was, "Huh?"
Don't get me wrong, I respect what Shepherd has accomplished here, and given the fact that several of the artists recorded on the CD have passed away in recent months, it's clear "10 Days Out" will stand as an important milestone in the history of blues.
Still, none of these achievements can cover up the reality that this entire album is an ode to the stereotype of a half-drunk has-been sitting on a stool in the back of a dimly lit bar strumming his guitar until he passes out. Seriously, the very first track is named "Prison Blues" and features a guy whining about how his dad is in prison. Gee, maybe he shouldn't have committed a crime. Go figure.
Once again, if you like the blues, then buy this album; it was made for you. But if the thought of listening to an hour of light strumming, harmonica solos and random Southern-accented voices muttering nonsense in the background causes you to roll your eyes and gag, then I would urge you to stay far, far away from "10 Days Out," as it will do nothing to change your mind.
