Quality Lasts: How Kenny Wayne Shepherd Reinvented 'Trouble Is...'
Monday, 17 April 2023
Written by Simon Ramsay
What makes for a classic album? Why does some music age like the finest of wines? And how can anyone craft a defining body of work when they aren’t even old enough to get legally drunk in their country of birth? Having created the enduring ‘Trouble Is…’ at the age of 18, and then re-recorded it with equal fire and flair more than two decades later, blues-rock icon Kenny Wayne Shepherd is definitely the man to answer such pressing questions.
Although 1995’s ‘Ledbetter Heights’ put the young gunslinger from Shreveport, Louisiana on the map, the prodigious artist’s sophomore effort turned him into a superstar. Arriving two years later, ‘Trouble Is…’ not only reignited the blues for a new generation of fans, it also paved the way for equally influential exponents such as Jonny Lang, John Mayer and Joe Bonamassa to do likewise.
Produced by Jerry Harrison and featuring the vocal bow of his now long time singer Noah Hunt, as well as Stevie Ray Vaughan’s formidable Double Trouble backing players Chris Layton, Tommy Shannon and Reese Wynans, it became a Platinum-selling phenomenon and even featured a breakout single in the shape of Blue On Black, a track that epitomised Shepherd’s ability to remain deferential to the blues while tastefully pushing it forwards into contemporary territory.
Such was the music’s power to transcend its genesis that, prior to the record’s 25th anniversary, Shepherd reunited with all the key players from the original sessions – save retired bassist Shannon – to re-record his superstar-making magnum opus. Exuding infectious chemistry , while adding a few slinky twists and turns along the way, ‘Trouble Is...25’ sounds every bit as relevant, resonant and ageless as the day it first hit record stores all those years ago.
Prior to a run of UK gigs where he’ll be playing that beloved album in full, we spoke to Shepherd about why he decided to revisit such a hallowed work, what made it such a durable offering and how, once the current tour is over, he may end up dropping not one, but two new albums in the not too distant future.
What’s the reaction been like to the ‘Trouble Is…’ reinvention from fans who must have had the original practically tattooed into their brains?
It’s been great. In the studio I was initially trying to do two different versions of the album. One was a faithful rendition and the other was playing the songs in the way they’ve evolved over the past 25 years. As I started listening I realised the better version was the one that was closer to the original, so we did that but took subtle liberties and made slight changes here and there, maybe in guitar solos or on the vocals. Because it’s so familiar to people, when they put the album on it immediately registers but, as they listen, they’ll start to hear some differences because they’re so familiar with it. They then realise they’re having a whole new listening experience.
On the documentary that accompanies ‘Trouble Is…25’ you said you’ve always wanted to make timeless music, and how revisiting the album reaffirmed for you how timeless it is. Why do you think it’s aged so well?
My desire has never been to be a pop star, so I’ve never been chasing the trendy sounds of the moment, which can change without notice. All pop music reaches a point in time where it starts to sound the same and, for a while, becomes oversaturated and you can’t tell one artist from another. That’s usually a precursor to whatever the next thing is that’s going to come. But I’ve always tried to play quality music, starting with a foundation of blues and rock.
Both genres have now proven their staying power is legitimate. Blues is around 100 years old and rock music’s getting close to that as well. When you’re doing music that’s been around for decades, it’s hard for it to sound dated. That’s the key to making music with longevity. And also not sacrificing quality for the sake of getting some attention. You want quality lyrics, quality music, a quality performance, a quality production. All of those things contribute.
When you were cutting the reinterpretation, were there any things that pleased or surprised you about what you did on the original that you hadn’t realised beforehand?
What I was so proud of was I didn’t feel compelled to change it. The guitar solos I played when I was 18 years old, I wasn’t looking back on them as a 45 year old man saying ‘ I can do it so much better now’ or ‘that was so basic and elementary.’ The spark was there, the emotion was there, the feeling was there, the fire was there, all the elements of what I try and put into my music today were already there back then.
Some artists make records and then can’t listen to them, hate them and wish they’d have done it differently. If you ever wanted to go back and fix something that had been bothering you for 25 years, this would be the opportunity. But as we did each song I realised I’m really happy with the way that record sounds and everything that was played on it. That’s why I didn’t feel compelled to change it a lot. When we did it started to lose the vibe that was so special about the original. So the recording experience was enlightening.
Can you tell me more about the recording process and what else you gleaned from it?
All these songs are embedded in me, so I can play most at the drop of a hat. But trying to hone in on the intricate details, because some of these songs we’ve been playing live a lot over the past 25 years and they’ve evolved in different ways, and I’ve realised it wasn’t necessarily for the better. In a live setting you can do things because the energy is flowing, the band is rocking, everything’s cranked up to 10, and you go ‘Wow that was awesome.’ But in the studio it’s a completely different animal. If you try some of those things in the studio it doesn’t translate the same to a recording as a live setting.
So we had to dial some of those back a little bit. Blue On Black being the perfect example. That song had changed gradually over the years to the point we lost a lot of the subtleties, and some of the magic, as far as the recording goes. In the live show it worked fine. The audience loved and reacted to it but, when we went into the studio and everything’s under a microscope, you go, ‘Wait a minute, we’ve gotten really far away from the magic of the original song.’ So we had to press the reset button, if you will, and get back to square one.
With regards to your fretwork on the record, you’ve said you didn’t mess with what you’d done too much because the young Kenny was playing for the song. That penny often doesn’t drop for a lot of guitarists until much later in their careers, so why did you appreciate the role your instrument needed to fulfil at such a young age?
Even though it was my band and everybody would always say it’s all about the guitars and all about you, I never felt like my music should be some kind of self indulgent platform. I grew up around a radio station where my dad was a DJ playing hits on the radio and all kinds of different music around the house. I learned very early on that there was a lot more to making a great song than a bunch of guitar solos. I wanted to make great music and great songs for people, so I paid very close attention to all the elements of the music and made the vocals and the lyrics of the song just as important as the guitar playing.
Parallel to that line of thought, many guitarists also take a while to really hone their songwriting chops. Yet, you were writing quality material from the outset. Did you have to work hard on developing that side of your game or did it come naturally?
One of the things I’ve always tried to do is, from a very young age, surround myself with the most talented people I can find. So I usually write songs with other people. I like to co-write because they inspire me in different ways than if I was doing it myself. I’ve been lucky to have written with some incredibly talented co-writers over the years. If I’m having a bad day or suffering from a lack of inspiration they can pull us out of that because maybe today’s their day to be inspired. And I’ve written with some incredible lyricists that, maybe I’ve had an idea, but they helped me to take it to a higher level. I surround myself with people I feel are more talented and smarter than me and that helps me to become a better musician and better all around.
After all the success that came with ‘Trouble Is...’, how challenging was it for you to follow that record with ‘Live On’ and how well do you think you accomplished it?
Every record we’ve ever done has been a great effort and can stand on its own. What’s interesting is that the industry has experienced seismic shifts and changes throughout my career, so I’m grateful I came out when I did. Because I came in right at the end of what I think is the golden era of making music in the industry. I got in at a time where, if you wrote good songs and made a great record, and worked really hard for it, you could sell millions of records, you could have a number one hit single, which we did. I’ve got Platinum and Gold albums hanging on the wall. I don’t think that’s gonna happen for an artist in this genre today because things have changed.
But between ‘Trouble Is’ and ‘Live On’ the internet started happening with Napster and people downloading music for free instead of buying albums. And from ‘Live On’ to ‘The Place You’re In’ even more so. The difference in album sales was obvious because people weren’t buying records and CDs like they once were and were starting to consume music differently. So you had to change the way you gauged success. The ‘Live On’ record, that album went gold and is probably platinum by now, but it didn’t sell as many out of the gate and as fast as ‘Trouble Is….’ did but I don’t look at that as it not being a success. We had some great singles at radio. Every record we’ve done, I’m proud of. They all reference that specific moment in time for me as an artist.
Jumping from the past to the future, you’ve had a brand new record in the can and ready to go for a few years now. What can you say about the style of that album and when it might be released?
Well this one, to me, it doesn’t sound like ‘The Traveller’ but musically, energy wise, performance wise, ‘The Traveller’ was one of the best records we’ve ever put out. This kind of picks up where that left off, which is on a very high note, so I’m excited to get it out. I’ve been living with the album for a couple of years, listening to it, and I’m not tired of it. I think the fans are gonna dig it and I’m looking forward to putting it out there before the end of this year.
We were also in the studio back in October and ended up doing a rock ‘n’ roll covers album. Jerry Harrison, who produced ‘Trouble Is…’ and several other ones for us, he’s very good at picking off the wall cover ideas. We did a blues covers album based around a lot of my heroes called ‘Goin’ Home’ several years ago and I wanted to do a similar thing with a rock album, but with songs that wouldn’t be obvious. We had a lot of fun doing it so that will come out at some point too. That gives us an opportunity to do another tour that includes the new music, so it’s very exciting stuff.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Tue April 18 2023 - WARRINGTON Parr Hall
Wed April 19 2023 - EDINBURGH Queens Hall
Thu April 20 2023 - NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE Tyne Theatre
Sat April 22 2023 - BEXHILL ON SEA De La Warr Pavilion
Sun April 23 2023 - LONDON O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
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