Brian Keane,
I Ain't Even Lonely



Label: Mix-O-Rama Records

(4½ out of 5)

The first time I saw Brian Keane in concert, I was struck by stylistic resemblances to vintage Willis Alan Ramsey. Keane's debut album, the outstanding I Ain't Even Lonely, reinforces that comparison.

Despite Ramsey's muddled history, the comparison is intended as a compliment. More than 30 years after its release, Willis Alan Ramsey remains one of the most stunning debuts in Americana (or then, "progressive country").

Keane's soft yet soulful voice and instrumental versatility showcase his creative songwriting, where he is equally adept at depicting humor and pathos, romance and heartbreak.

While there's not a weak song in the mix, several are especially impressive — the bluesy Townes Van Zandt tribute "It's Been a Long Day" (listen), the melancholy "Carry Me" (listen), and the dazzlingly erudite "Odysseus" (listen), in which Keane manages to compress the Odyssey into a 5-minute song.

The finest of them all is "Piece of Me," a clever love song (listen):

Walking home in New York
cause the subway's never
where it's supposed to be.
And she's fallen far behind me
so I wait for her to catch up to me.
She comes in closer, leaning up to me.
She says baby, won't you carry me.
Take my legs baby,
they're just another piece of me.

With help from producer Eldridge Goins and a number of friends in the Austin music community — including Carolyn Wonderland, Guy Forsyth, Papa Mali, Will Taylor, and Patrice Pike — Keane has created an understated masterpiece.

I Ain't Even Lonely is a brilliantly self-assured debut.

Buy I Ain't Even Lonely from Lone Star Music for only $13.99.

October 16, 2005