Search - Robert Earl Keen :: West Textures

Belated followup

Jeremy Ulrey | Austin, TX | 08/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hard to believe it had been nearly five years since Keen's last studio album when "West Textures" emerged fully formed form the dusty plains of the Lone Star State (Keen had issued a live album in the interim but both it and it's studio predecessor, "No Kinda Dancer", had long been forgotten, if ever they'd been truly discovered in the first place; no, nearly everyone who considers themself an "old school" REK fan picked up on him with this album and backtracked over the previous two afterward). Although only having one real breakout hit, "West Textures" set the template for not only Keen's repertoire but a host of imitators, something "No Kinda Dancer" - though near perfect in it's own right - failed to do.But what a hit that breakout was. "The Road Goes On Forever" cemented Keen's legend instantly, being covered immediately by other notable Texas luminaries such as Joe Ely, and even if the mass country audience didn't discover it until a few years later when the live version hit radio, the impact was felt not only on a younger breed such as the likes of Pat Green, but Keen's hardened tales of unexpurgated life on the cowboy edge both informed and validated a generation of his idols and predecessors (is it any wonder Guy Clark experienced a resurgence about this time, not only in popularity but in songcraft as well?). Keen's manifesto was liberal amounts of Steve Earle (whose "Tom Ames' Prayer" he would go on to cover) fused with the irreverent folk of John Prine and maybe a little Rodney Crowell (a fellow Houstonian) as well. "The Road Goes On Forever", for those who remain blissfully ignorant of it's existence, is one of those tunes that sets into the cranium instantly, a brash mixture of ecstatic fiddles and outlaw lyrics updated to feature the modern drug culture (something his fellow Steve Earle must surely approve of). Far from being a mere cautionary tale on the inauspicious fate which meets drug dealers, "Road..." instead goes the far more humanistic route of illustrating what makes a man with nothing to lose resort to things which he may know is not in his best interests, which makes the characters' eventual downfall feel more like the climax of a Greek tragedy than a comeuppance. Though "The Road Goes On Forever" remains the best song on the album, Keen reveals on songs such as "Mariano" the Hispanic influence which would bear full fruit on the "Gringo Honeymoon" record. Similarly, "Five Pound Bass" is a bit of a novelty/party song, blissfully vapid and intended as nothing more than an ideal drunken singalong for his live shows. "Love's a Word I Never Throw Around" is representative of his later mid-tempo ballads, with "Jennifer Johnson and Me" being actually something of an anomaly, rather old fashioned in it's folk leanings and more reminiscint of the high school romanticism of 50s rock, but the emotion is genuine and it remains one of his most gripping tunes.So we've got the second of REK's five star albums - the debut being the first - which doesn't mean that there aren't mediocre songs on board (Keen's CDs always have at least one or two throwaway tracks), but sandwiched between the rest of the masterpieces and near-classics they don't detract much from the overall listen. The prime cuts on "West Textures" soar high enough above the standards of excellence that the few middle-of-the-road stragglers fail to bring the album down to the realms of mere mortal accomplishments. Keen would make better albums but he could never again sound this fresh, this vital."

The Ballad CD

Maria Bergh | Austin, TX United States | 09/29/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've been listening to Robert Earl for years and this is by far one of the better cds. The ballads on this particular cd tell stories that are identifiable and heart-breaking. But, just when you think you're about to cry it rips into a boot-stomping, clap-your-hands song. A must have."