Kevn Kinney: The Flower And The Knife

As a solo act and with Drivin N Cryin, Kevn Kinney has carved out a circuitous and treacherous career path, falling prey to label shuffles (five and counting), ill-conceived genre exercises (DNC's eerily Def Leppard-esque 1993 dud Smoke), and frequent unevenness. Consequently, the last few years have found him constantly reassessing his nearly 20-year career, digging up old nuggets and seeing how they stand up when reworked for a new day. The new The Flower And The Knife tosses in a few such classics, "Straight To Hell" and the incomparable "Scarred But Smarter," and the results are characteristically mixed. Kinney gets more assistance than he needs from guests Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers, Gov't Mule) and Blues Traveler's John Popper, whose harmonica histrionics threaten to unravel "Scarred But Smarter." Elsewhere, Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" is reduced to a bland rock roundelay on which Kinney shares vocal duties with Haynes and perpetual Hootie surrogate Edwin McCain. Kinney's voice, though a bit of an acquired taste, remains in fine form—especially when he's left to sing and play on his own—though he courts Dylan comparisons more than usual, explicitly recalling him on "40 Miles Of Mountain Road" and hammering the point home with the inclusion of "I Shall Be Released" and "Ballad Of Hollis Brown." A few ill-conceived moments of lyrical indulgence aside ("Kerouac" springs to mind), Kinney's return is always welcome, and the admiration of fellow musicians eminently understandable. But The Flower And The Knife might have benefited from a little less outside help.