Out of all of his solo releases, ‘The Art of Letting Go’ is the one that probably sounds closest to Myles Kennedy’s main band Alter Bridge. It’s not like it could have had Alter Bridge’s name on the cover, but ‘The Art of Letting Go’ is certainly more riff-heavy than the acoustic foundation of ‘Year of the Tiger’ (2018) or the rootsy rock of ‘The Ides of March’ (2021). Anyone who wasn’t sure about those albums – both of which are incredible – because they craved something that rocked harder definitely should not pass up on ‘The Art of Letting Go’.

Stylistically, the album can best be described as a mix of seventies rock and arena rock from the eighties played with the rock guitar conventions of the twenty-first century. The riffs are generally heavy and quite crunchy, while the choruses are absolutely massive. Compositionally, ‘The Art of Letting Go’ is slightly less complex than Alter Bridge, though some of the more poppy rock songs would not have sounded out of place on the likes of ‘Walk the Sky’. And of course, Kennedy having one of the best voices in rock music these days – possibly the very best – holds the whole thing together.

While the arrangements on Kennedy’s first two solo albums were quite layered, ‘The Art of Letting Go’ is truly the work of a power trio that Kennedy forms with drummer Zia Uddin and bassist Tim Tournier. Of course, Kennedy has not let anyone keep him from adding a rhythm guitar track underneath a solo here and a harmony part there, but it is easier to imagine these three guys playing this stuff live than ever before. That adds an infectious energy to the album that makes it stand out as something truly unique in Kennedy’s discography.

Another thing ‘The Art of Letting Go’ excels at is having every song have its own identity. With this style, the choruses often define that identity, and there definitely are some magnificent choruses here – the one in ‘Say What You Will’ is delightful and groovy, the one in ‘Miss You When You’re Gone’ simply moving. But this is more than a collection of choruses. ‘Saving Face’ has my favorite riffs on the record, while the powerful semi-epic ‘Behind the Veil’ is a perfectly structured song. Closing track ‘How the Story Ends’ has some really cool light-and-shade workings, further enhanced by a mysterious, Indian-flavored riff.

Myles Kennedy is a classic triple threat. Most people know that he is a fantastic singer, all of the albums he has appeared on have proven that he is an excellent songwriter, while ‘The Art of Letting Go’, perhaps more than anything else he has done, serves as evidence that he is an incredible guitarist. More importantly, he knows how to employ those skills in a way that they bring out the best in each other. There should be more bands attempting the style of catchy, yet musically interesting arena rock that Kennedy and his band play here. Until that happens, ‘The Art of Letting Go’ is one of the best examples of it available today.

Recommended tracks: ‘Behind the Veil’, ‘Saving Face’, ‘How the Story Ends’