Robert Earl Keen,
What I Really Mean

Label: KOCH Records
Year: 2005

(4 out of 5)

Robert Earl Keen may be the most dependable recording artist in Texas. In just over two decades he has released 9 studio albums, 3 live records, and 1 "best of" compilation, with not a single dud among them. Keen's latest release, What I Really Mean, keeps the streak alive. It may not be his best studio album (Gravitational Forces takes that honor), but it's solidly entertaining.

Keen's trademark wit, versatile songwriting, and talented supporting cast keep him near the head of the pack of Texas musicians. Each virtue is evident on What I Really Mean.

Wit: "Mr. Wolf and Mamabear" is a sprawling story song that playfully twists fairy tale characters into a fanciful whodunit. "The Great Hank" brings Hank Williams briefly to life in the guise of a confused Philadelphia drag queen.

Songwriting: "The Wild Ones," a reminiscence of carefree yesterdays, seems destined to shoot up the charts. "The Dark Side of the World" is a haunting, bluesy number about a heartbroken veteran who decides to give up on life.

Supporting cast: Besides regulars like Rich Brotherton and Bill Whitbeck, What I Really Mean features banjo virtuoso Danny Barnes and The Greencards' string wiz Eamon McLoughlin.

There are a few missteps. "What I Really Mean" loses traction with a sorely out-of-place soprano saxophone. The music in "The Traveling Storm" is too upbeat to support the wayfarer's song and seems to rush Keen's vocals beyond his comfort zone.

But then there are jewels like "A Border Tragedy" that make it all come together. Keen talks his way through a free-verse story of partiers who cross the line in front of Acuna's power brokers. The tale meanders playfully until hitting a sudden moment of tension. The tune then shifts to "Streets of Laredo," featuring guest vocalist Ray Price, and then again to a mariachi band that closes things out. There is no resolution, no way of knowing how the young man paid for his transgressions. One can only guess, though, that Jaime and Umberto exacted some border justice.

What I Really Mean blends Keen's ingenious wit, solid songwriting, and strong supporting cast in a solid addition to the Robert Earl Keen canon.

Buy: Lone Star Music, Amazon

June 10, 2005