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Published
by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. CLICK FOR NEWSPAPER DELIVERY
Tuesday, September 11, 2001
Outside the box
STRONG LYRICS OUTWEIGH LIGHT MUSIC ON 'FORCES'
ROBERT EARL KEEN
"Gravitational Forces" (Lost Highway)
* * * (3 stars)
Robert Earl Keen has said, quite accurately, that he makes "country music for people who hate country music." He continues that tradition on his ninth album, "Gravitational Forces." Except for Johnny Cash's "I Still Miss Someone," Keen eschews love songs, instead tackling trickier topics like small-town gossip and running away from problems. "Goin' Nowhere Blues" makes reference to poet Langston Hughes, folk musician Woody Guthrie, Protestant reformer Martin Luther and labor leader Cesar Chavez - you won't find anything like that on Tim McGraw's latest.
Though ambitious songwriting has endeared Keen to college kids and cowboys, the music on "Gravitational Forces" seems intentionally unexceptional. Producer Gurf Morlix (whose credits also include two Lucinda Williams albums and Keen's last effort) took care not to distract listeners from the lyrics, but in several songs he provides some compelling slide guitar between verses.
WORLDLY 'UNITY' STICKS TO JAZZ ROOTS
AVISHAI COHEN & THE INTERNATIONAL VAMP BAND
"Unity" (Stretch/Concord)
* * * (3 stars)
Israeli Avishai Cohen came to prominence as the superb bass player in Chick Corea's New Trio, but in his fourth solo album he has returned to his roots as a pianist. Cohen's sextet unites musicians from four countries and the result is as diverse as one would hope for. From the Latin-tinged "Etude" to the serene "The Love," the album is a perfect example of modern jazz that distinguishes itself from - but is still rooted in - tradition.
DERAILERS' FIFTH ALBUM MISSES THE MARK
THE DERAILERS
"Here Come the Derailers" (Lucky Dog)
* * (2 stars)
The Austin-based Derailers veer off track with "Here Come the Derailers," the group's fifth album and first on the Lucky Dog imprint. The rockabilly band is known for playing honky-tonk music with a touch of Merle Haggard's Bakersfield sound and when they stick to that formula they do well, distinguishing themselves from the pack of neo-traditionalists that have cropped up recently as well as Nashville glitz.
Only a few songs on the band's album are distinctive, and there are more failures than successes. The fast-paced "Bar Exam" - "I got my Ph.D. in heartaches and misery, and a B.S. in bar stool philosophy" - is witty and raucous; the shuffling beat and lyrics of "I See My Baby" are top-notch; and the surf-inspired instrumental "Country A Go-Go" shows plenty of talent. But the slower, weepier songs miss the mark, falling somewhere between Bakersfield and Nashville - and it's not Texas.
-Staff writer Brendan Walsh
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