I haven't heard the Winery Dogs but those I know who have seem to think it's clearly better than the debut.
It cannot be worse.
Wanna bet ?
I have had a quick chance to listen to the new one and I think I like it quite a bit less than the debut - from what little I rememeber of it
I agree with a post in the dedicated thread that it's a bit more funky if anything. I find a lot of Kotzen related stuff is fine to listen to , but the songs sorta blur into each other. They have that funky, bluesy vibe and very little variation in sound/tempo/vocal register. And the occasional ballads aren't all that great either. On this album it's a track called Fire that is decent with a nice guitar solo ,but nothing I would rave about, and another decent bluesy ballad called Think It Over.
I can get through a listen okay (struggling by the end) but have very little desire to return to it , as very little stands out as fantastic.
So I will likely rate the new one around 70-ish right now but over time I am not sure. I get the feeling it will have very little staying power.