| · With a new full-length album in the stratosphere of the Americana charts, this compilation shows how he got there.
Longtime followers of Robert Earl Keen can debate the importance of this mixture of live and studio tracks, but what matters is that The Party Never Ends, a loose collection of fan favourites, is a first-rate introduction to the Texas songwriter. So good, in fact, that listeners who delve deeper into Keen's sizable catalogue of records will likely use it as a benchmark.
Although not strictly a country musician per se, he proves that the key word in country music is "country" and paints his images of five-pound bass, front porches, barbecues and Tex-Mex landscapes so vividly you can smell them.
Backed by superb mandolin and lap steel playing, Keen lives up to his formidable reputation as a great American singer-songwriter and easily shows why his other new release, Farm Fresh Onions, sits high in the current Americana charts. If you're curious about all the hubbub, you can do no better than starting here.
|
Copyright ©2003 FFWD. All rights reserved.