Finding the perfect voice to bring your lyrics to life can be a daunting task, like searching for a needle in a haystack. You pour your heart and soul into the words, but without the right vocalist, the song falls flat. There is a similar story behind how Myles Kennedy became a singer. In a recent interview with Premier Guitar, the frontman revealed that he started to sing because he could not trust others and wanted to take the lead himself.
“I started as a guitar player,” Kennedy said, referring to his initial plans in the music scene. “Lead, in particular, was my big passion growing up. The only reason I ever started singing was that it was easier to sing [my own songs] once I started writing them. When Mark discovered that I played lead guitar, he always pushed it. It’s the same nudging I did with him and his vocals.”
Alter Bridge released their new album ‘Pawns & Kings’ on October 14. Kennedy also mentioned the album’s production process in the interview and gave credit to their producer for his choices. According to him, Michael ‘Elvis’ Baskette’s influence on the album was undeniable.
“[Elvis is] such an important element,” said the musician. “He’s an incredible producer. He can get great tones, and he has a really great arrangement ability. More than anything, he understands the psychology of making records. That’s so much of what this process is about.”
‘Pawns & Kings’ was most praised for the lead singer Myles Kennedy’s superb vocals carrying the massive choruses of tracks like ‘Dead Among the Living’ and ‘Holiday.’ So both Kennedy’s decision to switch to vocals and the producer’s knowledge of how to use it seems to have worked well.
