Posted on: November 9, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 1

There is no equal to the absolutely sizzling opening that will hit listeners with the beginning of “Where Do We Go From Here”. Any fan of guitar work will appreciate this track, which has a little down-south, Southern rock feel (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Alabama) to it. Instead of sticking with a seventies or eighties sound, Kenny Young infuses each of the tracks on “Simple Things” with a current and contemporary feel.

“We’ll Find Love Again” calms down the guitars slightly, but allows for a more mainstream sound to dominate. The richness of the composition here benefits considerably through the inclusion of steel guitar, numerous vocal layers, and even different inflections at points. Where the first track had a Southern rock feel to it, “We’ll Find Love Again” is a track that is in the vein of artists like Jimmy Buffett, Warren Zevon, and even Jackson Browne. “Simple Things” continues to impress with the disc’s third effort, “Lay A Rose”. Much more slow in tempo than either “Where Do We Go From Here” or “We’ll Find Love Again”, “Lay A Rose” avoids the pitfall of slower tracks and strips things down to create a very simple and soulful song. “Carousel” shows that middle-disc tracks do not need to be always seen as filler.

This is due to the compelling story told with the track. Where the track could comfortably be played on either contemporary country or rock stations, this story is something that all listeners can understand and appreciate. “Midnight Rider” is the final track of “Simple Things”, and even at this late stage, it showcases Kenny Young as an experimental type of guy. This cover of the classic Allman Brothers Band track continues to contain the same vocal hooks that made the original so damn catchy, but Young’s version of the track contains enough grit that even fans of today’s acts like Godsmack or even Stone Sour can love it. Funnily enough, that’s what all of “Simple Things” does.

Top Tracks: Where Do We Go From Here, Lay A Rose

Rating: 8.0/10

Kenny Young – Simple Things / 2010 Self / 14 Tracks / http://www.brokenpoets.com

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