''The Ides of March'' is the second solo album by American singer and guitarist

Myles Kennedy Myles Richard Bass (born November 27, 1969), known professionally as Myles Kennedy, is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Alter Bridge and the lead vocalist in guitarist S ...

. It was released on May 14, 2021 via

Napalm Records Napalm Records is an Austrian independent record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock. Originally, Napalm focused on black metal bands, such as Abigor and Summoning, and folk metal bands, such as Falkenbach and Vintersorg. The label later ...

. In an interview with Kylie Olsson, Kennedy stated that he was listening to this record and told himself that he basically just made a "rock" record but only adding elements from his previous solo effort like acoustic guitar and lap steel guitar. It was chosen by ''

Loudwire ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August of 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive ...

'' as the 29th best rock/metal album of 2021.

Background

In an interview with ''

'', Myles explained the meaning behind every track of the record and its story behind it. For the song "Get Along", it is basically about the

1992 Los Angeles riots The 1992 Los Angeles riots, sometimes called the 1992 Los Angeles uprising and the Los Angeles Race Riots, were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, in April and May 1992. Unrest began in S ...

and how the lyrics affected 2020. "A Thousand Words" is about his friend's father's mother and how she was standing in an old photograph. The song, "In Stride" is about a survivalist preparing for an impending zombie apocalypse. The title song, "The Ides of March" is about warning and a bleak outlook to remind us who we are. "Wake Me When It's Over" is about Myles' alcohol addiction during the pandemic and how he was very bored during lockdown. The song "Love Rain Down" is about a desire for answers and unity in the world. "Tell It Like It Is" is about speaking your mind when you've had enough. The song "Moonshot" is about the eager to go back on tour with his bandmates. For the song, "Wanderlust Begins" it is about the yearning to set out and start over from the beginning. "Sifting Through the Fire" is basically about getting the wrong information whether it's from the news or social media. The final song off the album, "Worried Mind" is about the assurance that someone is willing to remain steadfast for something while calling on the need to compromise.

Track listing

Personnel

– vocals, guitar, banjo,

lap steel The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of playing a traditional a ...

, bass guitar,

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

* Zia Uddin – drums, percussion * Tim Tournier – bass guitar * Michael "Elvis" Baskette – keyboards, producer, mixing * Jef Moll –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

digital editing Digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operate in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital media can be created, viewed, distributed, modified, listened to, and preserved on a digital ...

Brad Blackwood Brad Blackwood is an American audio mastering audio engineer, engineer. He has mastered albums for artists such as Maroon 5, Against Me, Lamb of God (band), Lamb of God, Black Eyed Peas, Sara Bareilles, and is a 17 time Grammy nominee and 3-time win ...

- mastering

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ides of March (album), The 2021 albums Myles Kennedy albums Napalm Records albums Albums produced by Michael Baskette