Review: Keller & the Keels - grass

Keller Williams is a darling of the jamband scene, having graduated from solo acoustic guitar to a fuller arsenal including electronic loops, which led to lengthy excursions on stage. Here he confines himself to a mini-12-string guitar and partners with Larry and Jenny Keel on acoustic guitar and upright bass, respectively. The Keels are of a slightly more traditional mindset, so the resulting music here is purely acoustic. The album's title is perhaps a bit misleading. This really isn't bluegrass, since there's no mandolin or fiddle and just a hint of banjo. That the music doesn't exactly fit any kind of traditional mold is not a problem, however.

Fans of Williams' songs are bound to be disappointed by their paucity here -- only three are his own compositions. However, those inclined towards the Pickin' On series of CDs which offer bluegrass versions of rock music will likely appreciate the four rock songs given the treatment here. The album begins with a Williams original, "Goof Balls." With lyrics like "Hepped up on goof balls, gotta look out for each other," the song is a fun drug-laced romp featuring some great leads by the bearded Keel. While the music really moves along, Williams' voice lags behind. His smooth and mellow singing lends the affair a pedestrian feel. Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" follows. Again, it is a great slab of acoustic music with frantic soloing by Keel, and again Williams' voice falters. His inability or unwillingness to infuse his voice with any anger or contempt drags the song down. And when he begins singing with a lackluster English accent, the performance degenerates into sheer novelty.

Other covers on the album include "Mary Jane's Last Breakdown" and two by the Grateful Dead, "Loser" and "Dupree's Diamond Blues." The former mixes Tom Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and "Breakdown" while "Loser" combines the Dead song of the same title with that of Beck. Musically the goods are here but, as before, these songs come off as puerile attempts at being cute. By contrast, the Williams homage to marijuana, "Local," skips along with a wonderful homespun quality devoid of irony and much more suited to his voice. Plus the Keels provided some nice, taut harmony vocals.

The playing on grass is a real treat. Larry Keel's solos are incredibly melodic yet not ostentatious; Jenny Keel has the bottom end bouncing along and, with Williams, keeps the rhythm tight. And she contributes all-too infrequent backing vocals. The problem here is that most of the songs are overly self-conscious and come off as being too clever by half. Williams does not have the most expressive of voices, but he proves that this is not necessarily a detriment by showing he can craft material that suits his singing style.