Search - Keaton Simons :: Currently

Do yourself a big favour and buy this CD!!

not4sale2you | 05/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you love blues-influenced music, smart lyrics, great melodies and a warm, sensuous voice that gives you goose bumps, then you will love Keaton Simons. He is a great guitarist and singer, with immaculate timing and phrasing, and everyone who is a fan of blues rock, great guitar playing, and excellent musicianship, should make it his top priority to buy this album. Just listen to this music with your eyes closed and if you can't hear and believe this is some of the best music ever written, you don't have a good ear for music. This CD has it all. Great lyrics, great hooks, great arranging, and timeless music that will stand the test of time. And this from a guy who looks like a movie star - ladies beware!!I, too, like the stories Keaton tells with his songs - some are very personal, some are funny, sometimes the sadness is just a sigh away. But they are always told with grace, beauty, style and wisdom far beyond his years. And the sweetness and honesty that seems to be so much a part of his personality always shines through. Keaton Simons' melodies are versatile and show many influences, but I a like him best when he interprets his own version of the blues... As anyone who knows anything about music knows, the blues is the basis for so many of the best elements of rock and roll music. And for sure, they blend exceptionally well on this album! Keaton Simons is a great new voice, a pure and shining talent, and definitely on his way to fame. I hope he will get all the recognition he deserves, and soon!!"

Found on All Music Guide

Colleen | 06/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While awaiting the release of Keaton Simons' formal debut disc, Exes & Whys, Maverick Records decided to whet the market's appetite and generate some buzz by releasing the EP Currently. Featuring five originals by Simons, Currently is like the down-home cousin to John Mayer's Room for Squares, as both musicians are skilled guitarists who juice up their singer/songwriter personas with hints of other genres - Mayer's pop is infused with jazz while Simons leans toward the blues. Although it is not a direct comparison, there is something inherently similar about their sounds and the way both artists have been groomed for success by their record labels. Even the playful soul of Currently's title track could easily follow Mayer's "Your Body Is a Wonderland" as a quirky radio hit. However, Simons' organic sound is more intimate than Mayer's slick productions, and that helps to draw listeners closer to Simons' dark lyrics. With a voice that sounds like a less gravelly John Hiatt, Simons shows off his chops in bluesy numbers like "Lift Me Up," but there is a sense that he is holding back. Like some performers, Simons may be more subdued in the confines of a studio, but really lets loose in front of an audience. Even with this slight vocal tameness, his songs are impeccably performed and varied in their tones and styles. The appealing folk of "Lightning" plays like a lost track from Jules Shear's brilliant Between Us, while "To Me" echoes the acoustic works of Duncan Sheik from his Phantom Moon phase. Despite these comparisons, Simons' music and sound is engaging and all his own, but with the Matrix (Avril Lavigne, Liz Phair) producing several tracks for Exes & Whys, it remains to be seen whether Simons can retain his music's soulful personality or if it will succumb to the machinations of pop music producing. Regardless, Currently is a fine introduction to an emerging artist who is poised to make it big. - Aaron Latham"

New artist worth hearing

Go4LiveMusic | 02/02/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Keaton Simons was the opener for Paul Thorn at a club date I attended last September. Thorn has been out there a number of years, and I love his songs: great music and killer lyrics. He's also a fantastic live performer. I had never heard of Simons, but his music was incredible. He performed a couple of songs from the EP, and, more importantly, three or four from the full-length CD. He is an incredible storyteller with a beautiful voice. He accompanied himself on the guitar at the Thorn show, and that was all he needed. I saw him at the bar after the show and talked to him a little bit. It turned out that the songs I liked the best from his performance were NOT on the EP but would be on the CD. I bought a copy of the EP from him anyway and was just blown away by it. It stayed in the CD player for almost three months (along with Stephen Clair's "Little Radio"). Even when I put Christmas music into the player, Keaton stayed there in spot number one. A lot of the songs are about heartbreak and heartache but not in any kind of country-music cliche. The songs are highly self analtyical, and Simons doesn't spare himself the blame for love gone wrong. Moreover, his voice and the simple accompaniment serve only to highlight the lyrics - they don't detract or obscure the message, and they're incredibly tuneful. I can't wait for the full CD and the chance to get the other songs I heard him perform that night."