Search - Keller Williams :: Dream

A fantastic studio album by a Keller we're not used to (far

YokohamaJ | Yokohama | 02/23/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I just gave it a first listen, and am listening through it for my second time now.



And I have to say, listening to it as objectively as possible I would say with confidence that THIS IS KELLER'S BEST ***STUDIO*** ALBUM EVER - BY A MILE



Now just to clarify, if I'm NOT speaking objectively then I'd also have to say that this will probably NOT end up as my FAVORITE Keller album (excluding live releases, those would surely be Freek, Buzz and Spun). This is NOT "Keller just being Keller." And there are probably more "purist" Keller fans who will dislike this album because it's probably the least "Keller-esque" of all of them, and it's very far removed from what his live shows are like (at least thus far, although I understand that he'll be touring with a band this summer, so maybe that's all about to change).



But the fact that it's NOT what he does live and it's NOT Keller-as-usual is what makes this album so great. I mean, when you think about what a studio album is and should be, it's something essentially different from what a band or artist does live. It's a studio project, utilizing the freedoms and technologies and collaborative abilities that the studio environment and recording schedule allows. And this is one killer studio accomplishment in that sense.



First of all, the lineup of guest artists is just incredible. In fact (and you may know this already, but...) that's why he named the album "Dream", because it's the collection of songs he's done with artists that it's always been his dream to play with. Be sure to read up on who's featured on this. From Bob Weir to Fareed Haque to Michael Franti to Charlie Hunter, etc., etc., etc., the musicians he's assembled here are outstanding and quite varied in their musical styles.



And I knew that going in, but what I didn't expect, especially given the diversity of those guests was that the cohesion and flow and sound of this as a singular album, a singular project, would be so tight. Some of his more recent albums (especially Laugh and Home) have seemed to me to be a mish-mash collection of leftovers -- songs he hadn't gotten around to recording yet -- with a little "let's play with the stuff in the studio" randomness mixed in just for fun. And although this one also includes some older tunes (like Kiwi and the Apricot), it feels to me like he had a distinct vision of where he wanted to go with this as a unified album.



I don't know much about production, but especially with the variety of songs and artists on Dream, it seems to be really consistent and balanced from song to song. The whole thing just flows really nice. It's also really well mixed. Keller's voice and sound comes through clearly, as do his guests', but neither is overwhelming or dominates the other (My Cadillac with Bob Weir is a great example of this).



One more thing that I really like about this one, and this is just a matter of personal taste, is that this is Keller's jazziest album by far. The folk and the bluegrass is still present but, thanks in large part to the guests he's chosen, a LOT of the songs have a very jazzy feel to them. I love his creativity and experimentalism, but in some previous efforts he's been pretty loose on the experimental side, which has sometimes resulted in "listenability" problems for me. I found myself wanting to skip some tracks and not listen to the whole thing straight through. He seems to have learned from those experiences here, though, and reigned in that stuff to a point where it's still present but less out of control and random.



As I said before, this probably won't end up as my FAVORITE Keller album simply because at the end of the day, for me, when it comes to Keller Williams I just want to hear him do his thing solo on an acoustic guitar (preferably a 12-string) with no loops, bells or whistles. And as I said before, for that reason, Keller purists of this variety might not be so happy with this album.



But most of his previous albums have either been simple attempts at reproducing what he does live in the studio with perhaps a djembe or mandolin mixed in somewhat anonymously (his early albums), or all the way at the other extreme, Keller in the studio like a child on xmas morning, playing a bit recklessly with all his new toys (recent albums), or the one with String Cheese that was just too (sorry fans) String-Cheesy. This is the first Keller Williams album that really does justice to what a studio album should be, and he's done it very, very well. It's definitely a new direction for Keller, and a pretty big departure from the sound that those of us who have been listening to him for a "long time" (in my case 7 years) know and love. But on the other hand, if I had no idea who Keller was and gave this a cold listen, I think I'd really like it a lot on its own terms.



In short, get it."

Keller with others - not as spontaneous..

S. Pathapati | gainesville,fl | 02/21/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was in crazy anticipation of this CD. Although this cd has some serious talented musicians apart from keller (bela fleck, victor wooten, etc), it somehow seems to lack the spontaneity of 'Laugh', which to me was all Keller. Having said that, by no means is this a bad CD. Keller's loopy self shines through on most of the songs, but I am more partial to Keller singing his own backup vocals.



All in all, this album is less 'freeky' and sounds more produced and less free. Not disappointing by far, but a definite digression from Keller's usual style.



It would be fantastic to have all these amazing musicians jam live, but this album seems to take away from Keller's own virtuosity.

Maybe its just KW's growth as a songwriter, and it might take getting used to if you are fan of his earlier stuff."

An excellent album

YokohamaJ | 04/21/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Keller Williams is awesome in so many ways that I can't even begin to explain! This is by far his best studio album (hands down), with such guests like Bob Weir, Victor Wooten, The String Cheese Incident, Michael Franti & more. They only add more to the awesomeness of this amazing album.



The best songs in my opinion are Cadilac, Kiwi & the Apricot, People Watching, Rainy Day, and Twinkle."