Best

Best

by Robert Earl Keen
Best

Best

by Robert Earl Keen

CD

$16.99 
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Overview

Robert Earl Keen is an archetypical Texas singer/songwriter, someone who can mine both laughter and tragedy from life along the dusty margins of life in the Lone Star State, and seeing that he's been recording good-to-great albums of his material since 1984, a comprehensive and well-programmed compilation offering a fully rounded introduction to his music would be more than welcome. However, 2007's Best isn't quite that album. While Keen had recorded a dozen albums by the time this was released, Best draws its 17 tunes from only six discs, two of which are live albums and three of which (Farm Fresh Onions, What I Really Mean and Live at the Ryman) are relatively recent efforts that presumably dominate the second half of this collection because they were easy to license rather than because they represent Keen's finest work. Quite frankly, a number of Keen's best songs are missing, such as "Dreadful Selfish Crime," "The Front Porch Song" and "I Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight," while fan favorites like "The Five Pound Bass," "The Buckin' Song," "Barbecue" and "The Bluegrass Widow" don't make the cut, either. That said, if Best doesn't quite present Keen's best material (or even all his best known), there's little arguing that what's here is great stuff; Keen, who compiled this disc, has edited a satisfying sampler, hitting a graceful balance between crowd pleasers like "Merry Christmas from the Family" and "The Road Goes on Forever" (the latter prefaced by a rambling story in which Keen loses his car and his girl but meets Willie Nelson) and more resonant numbers like "Corpus Christi Bay," "Whenever Kindness Fails" and "For Love." If you're looking for a concise, career-spanning overview of Robert Earl Keen's long career in music, Best isn't as much help as you might wish, but the consistent quality is a sure convincer if you or someone you know wants some evidence of Keen's very real talent as a tunesmith and a performer. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date: 06/26/2007
Label: Koch
UPC: 0684038411429
Rank: 24072

Tracks

  1. No Kinda Dance
  2. Willie
  3. Armadillo Jackal
  4. Paint the Town Beige
  5. Whenever Kindness Fails
  6. Corpus Christi Bay
  7. Merry Christmas from the Family
  8. The Road (Intro)
  9. The Road Goes on Forever
  10. Furnace Fan
  11. All I Have Is Today
  12. Let the Music Play
  13. For Love
  14. Mr. Wolf and Mama Bear
  15. Ride
  16. Feeling Good Again
  17. Gringo Honeymoon
  18. I'm Comin' Home

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Robert Earl Keen   Primary Artist,Guitar (Rhythm),Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic)
Lyle Lovett   Vocals (Background),Vocal Harmony
Elliott Rogers   Vocals (Background),Vocal Harmony
George Marinelli   Vocals (Background),Vocal Harmony,Guitar (Electric)
Nanci Griffith   Vocals (Background),Vocal Harmony
Dave Durocher   Vocals (Background),Drums,Vocal Harmony
Denice Franke   Vocals (Background),Vocals,Vocal Harmony
Ian McLagan   Organ
Nick Connolly   Organ
Bryan Duckworth   Fiddle
Dan Augustine   Tuba,Trombone
Bill Whitbeck   Bass,Guitar (Bass),Bass (Electric)
Bill Schas   Trombone
Mike Landschoot   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Phil Richey   Trumpet
Paul Sweeney   Mandolin
Fred Gumaer   Drums
Tom Van Schaik   Drums,Percussion
Marty Muse   Pedal Steel
Joe Ely   Pedal Steel
Garry Tallent   Bass (Upright),Bass (Electric)
Eamon McLoughlin   Viola,Fiddle
Jay Spell   Accordion
Lloyd Maines   Pedal Steel
Marty Stuart   Mandolin
Michael Snow   Bodhran,Tenor Banjo
Tommy Spurlock   Pedal Steel,Lap Steel Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic),Gut String Guitar
Dan Huckabee   Dobro
Jonathan Yudkin   Violin
Rich Brotherton   Vocal Harmony,Guitar (Rhythm),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
John Hagen   Cello
Danny Barnes   Banjo
Riley Osborne   Piano

Technical Credits

Robert Earl Keen   Audio Production,Composer,Producer
Garry Velletri   Audio Production,Producer
Lloyd Maines   Audio Production,Producer
Rich Brotherton   Audio Production,Producer
Dan Augustine   Horn Arrangements
Bill Whitbeck   Composer
Chuck Rhodes   Production Coordination
Randy LeRoy   Mastering
Elizabeth Yoon   Design,Art Direction
Melissa Story Haycraft   Executive Producer
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