Year of the Tiger is the debut studio album by American musician and singer-songwriter Myles Kennedy. His first release as a solo artist, it was released on March 9, 2018, by Napalm Records.[1] The album is a musical departure from the hard rock music of Kennedy's other projects, instead featuring a stripped-back blues-based sound. A concept album, it explores the death of Kennedy's father in 1974, the year of the Tiger in the Chinese calendar.[2][3]
| Year of the Tiger | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 9, 2018 | |||
| Studio | Studio Barbarosa, Orlando, Florida | |||
| Length | 50:40 | |||
| Label | Napalm | |||
| Producer | Michael "Elvis" Baskette | |||
| Myles Kennedy chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Arts Desk |   [4] |
| Classic Rock | [2] |
| Cryptic Rock | [5] |
| Daily Express | [6] |
| Metal Hammer | [7] |
| The Spill Magazine | [8] |
Initial reaction for Year of the Tiger from music critics has been highly favorable. Hannah May Kilroy of Classic Rock gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, writing, "essentially Year of the Tiger sounds like Alter Bridge relocated to the deep south—if they swapped their hard rock riffs for bluesy twangs" and "the final message is one of finding hope in the darkness, and it’s evident that making Year of the Tiger has been a therapeutic experience for Kennedy and should be celebrated."[2] Cryptic Rock's Vito Lanzi gave the album a perfect 5-star rating, and commented that "with Year of the Tiger, Kennedy has really found his own individuality as a musician and is proud of his accomplishments."[5] Daily Express writer Paul Davies was also positive towards the album, concluding that "As though created from the confessional booth of inward reflection and conveyed with brutal honesty, Kennedy gloriously rides the tiger across all the tracks with emotional and musical aplomb."[6]
Loudwire's Chad Childers described the album as "not a Slash rehash or Alter Bridge minus Mark Tremonti" but as "a stellar, more nuanced and autobiographical release that shows the singer as an artist taking a risk, being his most vulnerable while telling a deeply personal tale of a tragedy from his youth that influenced and informed the rest of his life." Childers concluded that "While the album is about Kennedy's journey, it's one that is satisfying to us as listeners."[1]
The Arts Desk's Russ Coffey was more critical of the album, giving it a three out of five stars, adding up that "there are plenty for whom this kind of folky hard rock is the absolute last word in ghastliness. But if you're a classic rock fan and you enjoy Kennedy's voice, you're unlikely to be disappointed with Year of the Tiger."[4]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Myles Kennedy
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Year of the Tiger" | 3:40 |
| 2. | "The Great Beyond" | 4:50 |
| 3. | "Blind Faith" | 4:29 |
| 4. | "Devil on the Wall" | 3:44 |
| 5. | "Ghost of Shangri La" | 3:32 |
| 6. | "Turning Stones" | 3:38 |
| 7. | "Haunted by Design" | 3:39 |
| 8. | "Mother" | 3:42 |
| 9. | "Nothing but a Name" | 5:00 |
| 10. | "Love Can Only Heal" | 5:32 |
| 11. | "Songbird" | 4:04 |
| 12. | "One Fine Day" | 4:50 |
| Total length: | 50:40 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Nothing but a Name" (Demo Acoustic Version) | 4:51 |
| 14. | "The Great Beyond" (Demo Acoustic Version) | 4:45 |
| 15. | "Haunted by Design" (Demo Acoustic Version) | 3:46 |
| Total length: | 64:07 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Year of the Tiger" (Demo Acoustic Version) | 3:40 |
| 2. | "Blind Faith" (Demo Acoustic Version) | 4:15 |
| 3. | "One Fine Day" (Demo Acoustic Version) | 4:42 |
| 4. | "Songbird" (Demo Acoustic Version) | 4:01 |
| 5. | "Turning Stones" (Demo Acoustic Version) | 3:38 |
| 6. | "Ghost of Shangri-La" (Demo Acoustic Version) | 3:36 |
| Total length: | 23:51 | |
Personnel
editTaken from album liner notes.
- Myles Kennedy – vocals, guitar, banjo, lap steel, bass guitar, mandolin
- Zia Uddin – drums, percussion
- Tim Tournier – bass guitar
- Michael "Elvis" Baskette – keyboards, producer, mixing
- Jef Moll – engineering, digital editing
- Brad Blackwood - mastering
- Simon Dobson – string arrangement ("The Great Beyond")
- Will Harvey – violin ("The Great Beyond")
- Maddie Cutter – cello ("The Great Beyond")
- Elitsa Bogdanova – viola ("The Great Beyond")
Charts
edit| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[10] | 85 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[11] | 10 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12] | 64 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[13] | 122 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[14] | 48 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] | 14 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[16] | 16 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[17] | 40 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[18] | 292 |
| New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)[19] | 9 |
| Polish Albums (ZPAV)[20] | 34 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[21] | 6 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] | 12 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[23] | 12 |
| US Billboard 200[24] | 63 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[25] | 11 |
References
edit- ^ a b Chad Childers (March 8, 2018). "Myles Kennedy Reaches Vulnerable Catharsis on Deeply Personal 'Year of the Tiger' Solo Release – Album Review". Loudwire. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
- ^ a b c Hannah May Kilroy (March 7, 2018). "Myles Kennedy - Year of the Tiger album review". Classic Rock. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
- ^ "Myles Kennedy: This album is about losing my father". Metal Hammer. March 8, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
- ^ a b Coffey, Russ (March 5, 2018). "CD: Myles Kennedy - Year of the Tiger". The Arts Desk. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
- ^ a b "Myles Kennedy - Year of the Tiger (Album Review)". Cryptic Rock. March 5, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
- ^ a b Davies, Paul (March 10, 2018). "REVIEW: Top 5 Rock & Metal new albums of the week from Myles Kennedy to Jimi Hendrix". Daily Express. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ Matt Mills (March 5, 2018). "Myles Kennedy - Year of the Tiger Album Review". Retrieved March 10, 2018.
- ^ Gerrod Harris (March 9, 2018). "Spill Album Review: Myles Kennedy - Year of the Tiger". The Spill Magazine. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
- ^ "「Year of the Tiger / イヤー・オブ・ザ・タイガー」 | Ward Records". ワードレコーズ | Ward Records (in Japanese). Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #464". auspOp. March 17, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Myles Kennedy – Year of the Tiger" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Myles Kennedy – Year of the Tiger" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Myles Kennedy – Year of the Tiger" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Myles Kennedy – Year of the Tiger" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Myles Kennedy – Year of the Tiger" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
- ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week {{{week}}}, {{{year}}}". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
- ^ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 11 (dal 2018-03-09 al 2018-03-15)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ "Myles Kennedy". Oricon. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
- ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Myles Kennedy – Year of the Tiger". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ "Myles Kennedy Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ^ "Myles Kennedy Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 22, 2018.