Customer Reviews

Walking Distance

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Robert Earl Keen's songs have often been about going places. From his classic The Road Goes On Forever to Gringo Honeymoon, his stories celebrate the journey. In Walking Distance, the journeys come from a soul who has picked up just a little more wisdom along the trail. Down the Dusty Trail sets it up beautifully with three little rite-of- passage vignettes. Feeling Good Again then describes a time when all those journeys crystalize and the world seems to make sense for just a moment. Of course, there's fun stuff too: The infectious That Bucking Song won't leave your head for a long time. Most ambitious, of course, is the three song theme that becomes the ultimate REK journey to date. It might take a listen or two, but the lyric is clearly worth the time. This entire collection is rich with a mature and unique voice that defines Robert Earl Keen's music. Backed by Rich Brotherton's amazingly right guitar playing, it is a collection full of all the things that make you want to remember every single word. A tremendous acheivement that reminds us that all the journeys worth taking are within Walking Distance.

I'm a 47 year old son of the late sixties, raised on the icons of that rock and roll era. Being fortunate enough to see many of the groups from that musical period, I developed a taste for the unusual. The music from my youth was dynamic and ever changing evoking all ranges of emotion. I first saw, and heard, Robert Earl Keen and the Robert Earl Keen Band on Austin City Nights back in 94' after returning from 36 straight hours of work. As I was falling asleep I heard "Merry Christmas from the Family" for the first time. The REK band woke me straight away and held me spell bound with their delightful music and remarkably irreverant lyrics. From that point on I was marked as a fan. I've had a bit of a hard time finding REK cd's until I discovered Amazon "music", and stumbled onto the REK treasure trove that is at Amazon. "Walking Distance" was bought sight unseen and unheard on the come that it would be typical REK fare, and disappointed I was not. From the first cut to the last this cd is nothing short of great. No two songs are alike. "Walking Distance" runs the gamut of whimsical Texas swing to the sound of zydeco from the cajun areas of Louisiana. The ballads allow one to wipe a tear while sipping a beer, or to glow with the warmth of friendship from those we value most. These guys write a wide range of the eclectic and spin a magical spell with their musical talents. I was going to compare REK and the REK band to other musical greats, but decided that would not be fair to REK et al. These guys can stand alone. "Walking Distance" is well worth the price of admission, in fact it would be a bargin at twice the price.

tb

I dont get people who trash this guy. They obviously don't understand what he's all about. Robert Keen is a Texas treasure! His songwriting is absolutely heartbreaking, hilarious and honest. He writes about real people, places and things. His music is equal to his songwriting. His voice has that lonesome twang that only real lovers of Texas roots music would appreciate. Here he returns to a rootsier feel than his "Picnic' disc,(which was also great) and it's magic. A gem!

REK hits a peak with "Walking Distance." "Down That Dusty Trail" and "New Life in Old Mexico" are serious blood-pumping rockers, and "Billy Gray" may be the most beautiful song I've ever heard. He's kicking on all cylinders here: musically, thematically, lyrically, even (for REK) vocally. And "That Buckin' Song" and the rehearsed (or not, as the case may be) version of "Happy Holidays Y'all" are gut-busters. More people deserve to hear REK, not just us die-hard fans, so PLAY HIM ON THE RADIO! As for me, I'm telling everyone I know to get this.

Like all Robert Earl's cds i can put this one in my truck cd player and forget about it...it can play over and over and i never get tired of it. The transition process from song to song is very original..he kinda bounces around the cd...its awesome! The stories he tells and the songs are just great...i can't say enough about this guy, he's the best!!!!!!!!

Walking Distance is REK's best release to date. From the opening of the rocking "Down That Dusty Trail" through the wonderful cover of Norman Blake's "Billy Gray", to the cinematic "Road to No Return/Carolina" and "New Life in Old Mexico", Keen finally takes his rightful place among the best songwriters in the Americana genre. This album both rocks with a kick as well as soothes with rich, haunting ballads. There's not a bad song in the bunch here. I've been a fan ever since I first heard the "Front Porch Song" some 16 years ago..... ("Robert Keen, Robert Keen, can ya come help me for a minute!", to paraphrase an inside joke from the song). Keen's current band is formidable, to say the least. Keen's guitarist, Rich Brotherton, is one of the most underrated sidemen working today. This is a must buy for all REK fans and is certainly more than a worthy introduction to one of America's most unique musical talents.

REK's follow-up to "Picnic" doesn't have the raw edge of his earlier albums, especially the live shows, but the maturity of his songwriting is apparent. "Feeling Good Again" feels good, but doesn't feel soft, and it paints a pretty good picture of the typical REK bar crowd.
"The Road Of No Return" is an odd attempt at a sort of movement within the album. And while it ties a couple of tracks together pretty well, it's not something that stands alone very well. It will get stuck in your head, though. Damn tune.
The diligent listener will be rewarded with, not one, but two versions of "Merry Christmas, Y'all" at the end of the disc. The first is a slightly less funny cousin of REK's popular "Merry Christmas From the Family," but the second version is a bit of drunken hilarity that gives us a little more of the REK live show humor that has made his "Live Dinner" albums so popular.
Overall, probably his best studio work. The songwriting is definitely at it's best, and the good-natured Texas tongue-in-cheek isn't completely absent.

Too often, the ho-hum banality of today's country music seems to drive a nail in the music's coffin with non-fans. While I like the usual country heroes (George Jones, Hag, even the Man In Black himself), the usual assortment coming out of Nashville seems way too prefabricated for my liking. That said, Keen, I'm happy to report, isn't anything like the stuff coming out of Music Row these days. While he emerged out of the same Texas singer-songwriter nexus as greats like Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith and Guy Clark, Keen brings all the right pop elements to his "country": a dash of soul, a hint of pop, a smidgen of rock and loads of slice-o'-life lyrics that never sound like they were cribbed off the inside of a Hallmark card. Walking Distance is that rare bird: a beautifuly constructed, organic album filled with immense charm, incredible melodies and unsurpassed emotions. All framed in no-fuss arrangements that never crowd the singer and always do his songs justice. Whether he's covering a great number like Peter Case's "Travelin' Light" or waxing philosophical on his own songs, this album is just the tonic for people looking for something that's just a shade above excellent. Recommended.

After repeatedly replaying REK's latest release, Walking Distance, a long-time REK fan will come to a revelation: he/she does not want to continue repeating every song on the album. While tiring of an artist's CD is normally a natural occurence, REK has historically created timeless pieces of artistry which grow with each re-listen. As his first release on national-Arista, it is apparent REK was pushed for time in writing this album. While his songwriting could still serve a valuable lesson in creativity to today's "radio-friendly artists", its depth on Walking Distance is not quite to his lofty standard. HOWEVER, there is one glaring exception. "Feelin' Good Again" is both a floating lyrical ode to the comforts of coming home and a subtle tribute to Bandera, TX's legendary bar/honky tonk Arkey Blues. From the opening line "Standing down on Main St. across from Mr. Blues..." to its last refrain of "It feels so good feelin' good again", REK's rolling harmony grips the listener with its profound simplicity. It's one of those songs in which you wish there was an infinite number of verses so it could continue playing until you reach your destination. If you've followed Robert's music, you know this type of obsession over a song is common...it just normally happens more than once an album.

I remember listening to this album while I was attending Texas A&M University. Since Keen is an Aggie himself, attending A&M lends itself to less than a discriminating taste for his music since - let's face it - it's hard not to cheer loudly for any performer who lets you cart your own keg of Keystone to his live show. Still, Keen is the primary reason I harbor delusions that the country music played in Texas is, unlike the drivel they peddle out of Nashville these days, still actual, honest-to-God country music, and for that I am profoundly grateful. Walking Distance is the best of the bunch from Keen, too, though I count several close friends (and fellow Aggies) who would undoutedly disagree with me. The Saturday night party calls for No. 2 Live Dinner, and the pre-live show shindig necessitates a playing of Gringo Honeymoon (if not Bigger Piece of Sky, if Keen is feeling nostalgic on the night you see him live), but pound-for-pound, give me Walking Distance for a f*ing ALBUM. I get the distinct impression (and it might just be this Texan's imagination) that this album is the result of the failure of Picnic (a good album in its own right, if not particularly memorable) to morph Mr. Keen into the country star it seems he's always dreamed of being (see, e.g., The Front Porch Song, the intro to Mariano off the second live disc, or the entire Picnic album for that matter).

I for one, judging from the brilliance of Walking Distance, am glad he didn't make it. There are far too many country pop stars coming from Nashville these days. Lord knows they are stealing our artists who used to have something to sing about (Pat Green, Cross Canadian Ragweed, and Cory Morrow among them). At least to my mind, divine Providence smiled upon Mr. Keen in his failed attempt at stardom, considering that it directly resulted in Walking Distance.

Buy No. 2 Live Dinner if you know nothing about Mr. Keen - you will not be disappointed - it's his most accessible album, something of a Rubber Soul in ostrich boots and a black felt ten gallon hat. Buy Gringo Honeymoon, Bigger Piece of Sky and the Live Album (in that order) next, and you'll see why I have the audacity to compare him to the Beatles. (Thegroundbreaking nature of each is astounding - though the Beatles accomplished their revolution on a world stage, the revolution fronted by Mr. Keen is no less important to those who value the country music tradition of Jennings, Cash, Horton, Nelson, Guthrie and Williams.) But after that, buy Walking Distance (or steal it from a friend - however you can lay your hands on it) - it is the, pardon, Revolver of Texas country - the album that you will continue to put on for its own sake, not just from which to cherry-pick tracks for your next get-together (as you might from Gringo Honeymoon), but for when you put on an album when you're alone in the house, and what you want is a musical experience, dammit.

There are those of us who believe (despite our predilection for the occasional party) that this is what music is about at its core. For me, this feeling is encapsulated in Walking Distance. I hope that, at least for some of you, that same feeling can be found in the same album.