Keene Brothers - Blues & Boogie Shoes
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Artist: Keene BrothersEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2006-06-27
Music Label: Recordhead Records
Free Music Notes for Blues & Boogie Shoes
Free Music Review: My Faith In Bob Is Restored
Hit: 5 Stars
For those of you who have been somewhat disappointed with the recent quality of Robert Pollard's solo CD efforts, take heart. The Master is back, and he is in fine form as he teams with Tommy Keene to produce some of the best-sounding Bob-Rock since Guided By Voices' "Do The Collapse". When MAGNET included "Blues and Boogie Shoes" on its list of best albums of 2006, I took special notice. I am very glad I purchased this Keene Brothers disc!
As a longtime fan of Guided By Voices, I was disappointed when Pollard decided to disband his group and go solo. His past solo efforts such as "Not In My Air Force" and "Waved Out" had been enjoyable but uneven. Recent solo albums on which Mr. Tobias has assisted, such as "From a Compound Eye" and "Normal Happiness" are interesting but to my way of listening they have lacked emotional fire. Pollard seems to churn out as many CDs as he can in as short a time as possible, and when an artist does this with basically the same personnel (Tobias) a rut can quickly develop. While Tobias' instrumental tracks have been generally impeccable, I have noticed that Bob's singing has sounded strained and distinctly off-key at times.
Now with Tommy Keene for "Blues and Boogie Shoes", the Golden Voice is back. Pollard is singing on key, in a strong voice, and he is creating stronger melodies that draw the listener repeatedly in. His lyrics are fascinatingly vague as usual, generating hodgepodges of images that may seem cohesive although they are made of disparate parts. This time around, his lyrics contain a feeling of determination and are vaguely inspirational. In "You Must Engage", he entreats the listener: "You mustn't wait, you must engage, use all your rage". "Where Others Fail" also features some "can-do" lyrics: "The pointing finger and driven nail, accept your fortune where others fail" and "Lift him out and set him loose, to find success where others fail".
Tommy Keene creates beautiful instrumental tracks that shimmer and glow. His guitar arrangements are highly melodic and textured, and he provides a perfect pop-rock backdrop for Pollard's newfound optimism. Keene uses guest drummers, but he plays all the other instrumental parts himself. Considering the high quality of his craftsmanship, I hope he and Robert Pollard will create more sounds together. "Blues and Boogie Shoes" is an intellectual pop-rock masterpiece.
Long live Keene Brothers!
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