CD Review: Robert Earl Keen
Christina CaldwellIssue date: 10/1/09 Section: Music
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The Rose Hotel
(Lost Highway)
Grade: B-
Robert Earl Keen has taken a back seat in the country music seen as Lyle Lovett's former neighbor when the two were attending Texas A&M University.
While Lovett's sound progressed, Keen stayed in the realm of writing simple country ditties that told straightforward stories lacking experimentation. On his newest disc, The Rose Hotel, Keen brings that sound into the 21st century, but not by adding a modern twist, per se. Instead, he talks about HBO and asks if they have Wi-Fi in heaven on top of standard country tracks.
There's nothing new and fresh about The Rose Hotel. Maybe that's why it works - at least for this 53-year-old songwriter. "Something I do" is a humorous song about a boring day, which can easily be confused for a boring song itself. Steel guitar, accordion and banjo all make cameos on the disc, most notably on "Throwin' Rocks," a jammy track that features Keen's trademark storytelling over a rock-inspired base.
Wilco fans beware: There's nothing alternative about Keen's approach. The Rose Hotel is a country album for country fans.
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