10 Rock Stars That Went Country (And Nailed It)
3. Myles Kennedy
The voice of Myles Kennedy was made to fill out stadiums around the world. Since this was one of the few people able to effectively pull off the voice of Axl Rose while on tour with Slash, Kennedy always felt at home soaring over some of the greatest licks that rock and roll had to offer. Aside from Alter Bridge though, Kennedy tended to feel like a hired gun when working with others. What does he sound like when he's left to his own devices?
On his first solo album Year of the Tiger, Kennedy went in a completely different direction than his rock roots, bringing us a slice of Americana with mostly acoustic instruments and an abundant presence of slide guitar in the mix. While this might have seemed like just a cheap way to rake in another market of fans, a lot of this record was coming from a genuine place, as Myles tries to work out the emotions that he has after losing his father.
This might be a heavy record lyric wise, but that manic energy left over from his rock days is still here, with some of the acoustic cuts coming close to Zeppelin territory like Devil on the Wall or The Great Beyond. Considering Myles' track record with all of his other acts, this just sounds like the kind of record he would have made if rock and roll hadn't been invented.