Although blessed with a powerhouse, versatile voice that ideally complements Alter Bridge's arena-sized riffage and does Slash's hit-filled catalogue justice, Myles Kennedy's unassuming demeanour has resulted in his being afforded tags such as "the nicest guy in rock". He's such a nice guy, in fact, that fans have patiently awaited his long-delayed solo debut.

Expecting a dose of Alter Bridge's anthemic heavy rock would be impractical, especially given the singer's breadth of influences, including a penchant for the Zeppelin-channelling blues, Americana and acoustic fare that's prevalent here.

Kennedy played lap steel, mandolin, banjo and bass in addition to guitar on the record, and his dedication to this labour of love is readily apparent. Built around a concept exploring a family tragedy from his childhood, the soul-baring emotion of Mother, Love Can Only Heal and Blind Faith come from, as therapists like to say, a very real place. But that doesn't mean Year Of The Tiger is sans a little rollicking fun; note the stomping, uptempo blues of Devil On The Wall. But the modus operandi here is ultimately catharsis through music and, on that front at the very least, the LP succeeds.

There may not be an abundance of enormodome-dominating hooks - perhaps to the chagrin of some of Kennedy's fans - but Year Of The Tiger is a grower filled with rich melodies, offering elements ripe for discovery with each listen.