Guitars will rule again this Summer, specifically August 2nd, since that's when Roadrunner Records/Loud & Proud will release The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band's new album, How I Go. This is the band's first studio album since signing with Roadrunner/Loud & Proud Records last year and follows the release of the GRAMMY nominated album Live! In Chicago.

How I Go was recorded in Sausalito, California's Studio D, and produced by both Kenny Wayne Shepherd and his longtime collaborator and producer Jerry Harrison. The album signals the band's welcome return to the studio. With the help of co-writers Mark Selby and Tia Sellers ("Blue on Black"), as well as Zac Maloy and Danny Tate, the new album offers a bounty of new material as well as covers from Albert King, Bessie Smith and The Beatles.

Kenny and his band, which features Noah Hunt, Chris Layton, and Riley Osbourn along with special guest Tommy Shannon, have delivered a refreshing and inspiring take on guitar-driven rock n' roll. How I Go offers a blues infused collection of music- and more. "We poured our hearts and souls into the recording of How I Go. My goal was to give longtime fans exactly what they want to hear on one of my records, while providing new fans an opportunity to experience my brand of blues based rock. I'm certain music lovers will clearly hear our musical roots while experiencing the growth and emotion that this record represents," said KWS. The band is currently planning a US tour to begin in July.

Are you going to Go on August 2nd?

The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, Goin’ Home (Concord)
Like the old Muddy Waters song, Kenny Wayne Shepherd feels like going home. For his new album, the 36-year-old guitarist returned to Shreveport, La., to record a disc that mines his musical influences, from Waters and Albert King to Stevie Ray Vaughan. With a band of blues and country veterans—drummer Chris Layton (Double Trouble), bassist Tony Franklin (The Firm) and keyboardist Riley Osbourn (Willie Nelson)—and a who’s who list of guests (Rebirth Brass Band, Keb’ Mo’, Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh, Warren Haynes, Robert Randolph), Goin’ Home presents Shepherd at his bluesy best. On “Breaking Up Somebody’s Home,” which King recorded in 1972, Osbourn’s slow and funky keyboards set up an impeccable groove for Shepherd and Haynes to engage in high-flying guitar solos. On “The House Is A Rockin’”—the leadoff track from Vaughan’s 1989 album, In Step—Shepherd turns in a blistering solo in homage to the late Texas guitarist. King’s signature song, “Born Under A Bad Sign” (written by William Bell and Booker T. Jones), features Keb’ Mo’ on vocals, while the Willie Dixon tune “You Can’t Judge A Book By The Cover”—which Bo Diddley cut for Checker in 1962—features vocals by Shepherd family friend Brady Blade Sr., co-producer Brady Blade Jr.’s father. (The album was recorded at Blade Jr.’s studio.) This Louisiana homecoming is an all-around awesome affair.