One thing you can never call Keller Williams is lazy. As we have showcased in the past, Keller has already amassed one of the deepest catalogs of any artist on the jam scene. Now Williams has decided to kick off 2017 with a bang, releasing not one but two new albums that showcase separate facets of the amazingly diverse talents he brings to the table. There is a lot of stellar work being done on these releases so these albums, so let’s take a look at them in alphabetical order, starting with…
Keller Williams – Raw
No matter how far Keller Williams has roamed stylistically over the course of his career, he has always found his way to his first love: the guitar. His approach to the strung up box favors the bass end of the sonic spectrum, though he balances that with his sweeter side to create a completely distinctive tone adored by his fans. While his rabid fans have enjoyed the bells and whistles he has employed to keep his music fresh, there are many who wish Williams would just drop all the pretense and permutations and just play. On Raw, those fans get their wish, and the result is one of the finest of his already storied career.
Opening with the instrumental track, “Cookies,” listeners are given the most intimate look at Williams’ music ever laid down. The seeming complete lack of production bells and whistles and the nearness of the recording microphones perfectly capture the vibe of having Keller Williams sitting inches away and playing from the heart. Following that, we are treated to the sad tale of musician and promoter Jimmy Tebeau, former member of beloved Midwest Grateful Dead cover band The Schwag. True to the title, “Short Ballad Of Camp Zoe” doesn’t try to delve into the complicated legal issues that closed the festival grounds, but simply allows Williams and the many fans who attended the events a moment of fond remembrance of fun times ended too soon.
Songs like “2BU” showcase the wistful side of Williams’ lyrical writing style that can sometimes be over shadowed by his playing. The wryness of his wordplay is, as always, a wonderful counterpoint to his quirky fret board style. “Right Here” shows the blues man in him peeling out for a moment, as he plays a tune that could have won him fans in most any era. “Return To The Moon” seems to be from the Beck school of nonsensical free association, while “Ella” shows the power of creativity when an artist self imposes limitations on creativity.
The fast paced nod to Leo Kottke, “Thanks Leo,” features a frenetic jazzy pace which counterpoints the following track, “I Forgot” and its comic dreamscape rise and fall ode to Keller’s hardcore gangsta side surprisingly well. “Short Show” is a rather gnarly reminder that outdoor concerts present a completely different set of challenges and makes listeners feel sorry for the Kings Of Leon in a very disturbingly visceral way. Raw closes as it began with an acoustic track that reaffirms everything great about this package, unbridled honestly that can’t be denied, only enjoyed.
In stripping everything down to the bare bones, Raw‘s tracks illustrate a sports truism: with solid fundamentals, anything is possible. Though he is more than capable of being a solid team player, Raw reminds fans that Keller is more than capable of dominating the game one on one any day of the week.
Keller Williams KWahtro – Sync
Keeping the acoustic theme of his pair of releases going, KWahtro brings in a mix of collaborators for the free wheeling Keller Williams to bounce off, and the jazzy results are well worth repeated visitations. The stated purpose of the project is to explore a more free flowing improvisational side of Williams style, with players who can respond to and inform Williams’ playing equally. That said, this is still a Keller Williams record and the many beloved hallmarks of his playing and singing styles are still firmly in play.
Guitarist and long time collaborator Gibb Droll returns to help Williams fill the space. The familiarity and comfort the two share is instantly evident. Sync opener “Ripped 6 Pack” shows the pair of guitarists sharing the load with a complimentary spirit that seems completely free of ego. Droll fits his turns at the lead in without any jarring effects and Williams seems to happily fade into a supporting roll. But the real story here is the remarkable work done by the rhythm section of drummer Rodney Holmes and bassist Danton Boller.
Long time fans of Williams have never encountered such an in-your-face counterpoint to his playing as that presented here. Holmes’ mixture of fills and flourishes is aggressive and undeniable in intensity and power. Holmes shows himself more than up to the task of keeping up with the versatile Williams, and his every beat on Sync makes the case for his becoming his host’s go to drummer on any future endeavor. While Holmes snaps and cracks, Boller provides the pop in the form of bass lines that percolate and permeate on songs like “Cheaper By The Bale” and “Whatchoowantgurl.”
“Baby Mama” shows that the assembled player are capable of restraint, with softly rolling percussion and flat bass lines that gently roll while Williams croons away over the top of the mid range goodness the band is laying down. With their ability to simmer demonstrated the build and glorious release of “Hatebreedlove” all the more exceptional. Williams’ signature gift for bringing universal themes to comical lyrical life brings smiles to the faces of anyone who has ever faced the problem of “Missing Remotes.”
Clear production gives each player as clean a voice as possible and allows each contributor the chance to speak in their truest musical voices, as is best noticed on the flight of fancy “In The Middle.” While album closer “Running on Fumes” speaks to the ending of this project, it is clear that this configuration has plenty left in the tank. Simply put, this is one of the most intriguing new angles of Keller Williams’ multi-faceted career. Paired with a rhythm section that easily matches his ADD style of playing, and a guitarist more than up for the challenge of fleshing out the admittedly narrow range of Williams technique, gives fans as complete a band concept as he has ever presented.
What Williams has accomplished on these two simultaneous issues is made all the more remarkable by their diversity. With Raw he has made one of the most solid and welcome return to his core that we have seen in some time, while Sync shows him ready to continue his quest to push his boundaries in exciting new directions. Separately each is a wonderful addition to his catalog, but together they paint a picture of an artist in his prime, and for the legions of Keller fans out there around the world this is a very telling sign that the best is indeed yet to come from this amazing talent.