Abandoning the blues for rock

Gone, it seems, is the young, bluesy Kenny Wayne Shepherd who hit it big with his 1997 hit, "Blue on Black." This much we know simply from looking at Shepherd, who appears on the cover of his new album, The Place You're In, looking like what appears to be a Backstreet Boy with an anger management problem. Also gone is much of Shepherd's regular fare as well. Yet it's not a flop waiting to happen. For Place, he tries on a variety of new hats, including his first outing as a vocalist. Noah Hunt, who provided vocals for many of Shepherd's previous songs, including "Blue on Black," appears here as well, but unfortunately, just briefly. \nPerhaps Shepherd took all the criticism too literally when many people said he was like a carbon copy of Stevie Ray Vaughn. (I always thought it was a compliment.) The much-heralded bluesy-rock guitar for which Shepherd is famous has been thrown out here, replaced with a sharp, loud current of electricity in catchy songs like, "Be Mine" and "Get It Together," akin to Kid Rock, who also makes a surprise appearance.\nOnly if you happen to hate guitar rock, or if you're still desperately seeking blues Kenny, is The Place You're In definitely not for you; otherwise, it's a decent follow-up and as musical makeovers go, one of the less disastrous.