On December 2nd, the five-time-Grammy-nominated guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd will release ‘The Trouble Is…25,’ a top-to-bottom reinterpretation of his seminal album “Trouble Is…,” which struck the match that reignited modern blues upon its release 25 years ago. “Trouble Is…25” will be accompanied by a live DVD filmed at The Strand Theatre in Shepherd’s hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana, shot at the launch of his year-long celebration of the 25th anniversary of ‘Trouble Is…,’ which found the band performing the album start to finish across the US.
Since he burst from the blues clubs of Louisiana onto the global music scene with 1995’s breakthrough first album “Ledbetter Heights”, followed by his career defining second album “Trouble Is…” in 1997, Shepherd has twisted those classic cuts into bold new shapes each night on the stage. Led by the pulse of the crowd, every last note alive in his hands, the “Trouble Is…” tracks have always been on the move, never settling into museum pieces. But to give a quarter-century-old album a second birth is another matter. And in more recent times, the multi-platinum-selling artist looked up the road and saw the 25th anniversary of “Trouble Is…” on the horizon, he hatched an audacious plan.
“I didn’t want ‘Trouble Is…25’ to be a surgical process. I don’t like to overthink things. I just wanted to go in and capture the vibe. There were a couple of ways we could have approached this new recording. We could have done a one-hundred-per-cent faithful reproduction. Or we could have done a complete reinterpretation. One of the coolest things about re-recording “Trouble Is…” has been finding out – or verifying – how timeless this album really is,” says Shepherd, who is also leading a triumphant anniversary tour across the United States in 2022 and 2023, performing the album in full. “I’m so proud of what we accomplished, and also the fact I was just 18 years old when I did it. I mean, I had an experience with this album that most musicians can only dream about. “Trouble Is…” sold millions of copies. There’s validation in all of that for me.”
“Trouble Is… 25” Album Artwork
Times change. Artists evolve. Music scenes rise and fall. Back in 1997, the original “Trouble Is…” was embraced by a rock ‘n’ roll generation crying out for something of substance as vapid manufactured pop began its inexorable rise. A full quarter-century later – with manufactured pop holding sway and humanity clawing its way back from a spirit-sapping global pandemic – the anticipation surrounding the reborn “Trouble Is…” album and live shows stands as testament to a collection of songs that have never sounded so thrilling, empowering, unflinchingly honest and unapologetically human.
Sonic Perspectives contributors Mark Boardman and Joel Barrios had a long and interesting chat with Kenny Wayne this week to learn as much details as possible about ‘The Trouble Is…25’, and you can watch or or listen to their all-encompassing conversation below. Remember that for more interviews and other daily content, Sonic Perspectives is on Facebook, Flipboard, Twitter and YouTube, where you can be notified about new content we publish on a daily basis.
Shepherd will continue to tour in support of ‘The Trouble Is…25’ this winter. For more information and to purchase tickets please visit THIS LOCATION.
