Guitarist Shepherd Shows Fire but Little Variation

Blending the twang and punch of Texas blues with the power and excess of hard rock, the young Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band served up nearly two hours of crowd-pleasing bar rock Wednesday at the House of Blues, displaying the promising fire that has made it an opening act of choice for such living rock legends as Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith.

On the first night of a two-night stand celebrating guitarist-songwriter Shepherd’s 21st birthday, the Shreveport, La., quintet regaled an enthusiastic audience with instrumentals, classic blues, Hendrix tunes and original songs from its 1997 album, “Trouble Is . . . ,” and its 1996 debut, “Ledbetter Heights.” Driven by a crack rhythm section, the music was always energetic and sometimes recalled ‘70s rockers like Lynyrd Skynyrd, thanks to vocalist Noah Hunt’s throaty growl, which was better for its sheer bluster than true agility.

Full of emotional fire and conviction, Shepherd’s playing drew straight from the well of late Texas blues icon Stevie Ray Vaughan. But the young guitarist’s riff-a-licious style was far more singular, lacking Vaughan’s nuances, or much tonal variation of any kind. As unpretentious as a guitarist could be while peeling off endless epic solos, Shepherd nevertheless failed to demonstrate his individuality, and the music remained surprisingly tame.

Shepherd’s potential and eagerness to keep the blues alive were nonetheless inspiring. Still, it remains to be seen if he will make his mark on a genre in which genius is defined by how an artist interprets--and varies--its very limited themes.