JAMES KEYES – THE MIDDLE
2013 – Self
Released
This is James Keyes third album and as such confirms the quality of his music with all three being essential listening if you like roots music with great depth that blends country, blues, folk, Americana and any number of other sub genres within roots music. Often those styles are blended into the same song, many of which are dark musically as well as lyrically. His deep evocative vocals add to the atmosphere of his high quality writing often leaving me wishing he had made more albums, such is his all round quality! This album perhaps veers a little more in a rock direction than his previous album 2011s ‘Devil take the hindmost’ although the change is not huge and it is still recognizably from the same artist and retains much of the deep darkness that he has such a talent for!
On this album James wrote all of the songs, handles lead vocals and plays guitar, piano, organ and harp as well as bass on some songs. Duncan Arsenault is on drums, Jeff Burch, bass, JP Beausoleil on trumpet, Klem Klimek, sax and Josh Kane on trombone. These musicians are all incredibly talented people who add so much atmospheric colour to each and every song, without ever trying to overwhelm proceedings or resort to any histrionics. The tempos and stylistic leanings are varied on these little snippets of lifes ups and downs, with the weighting heavily in favour of the downs! To the already mentioned stylistic blend can be added a sometimes jazzy New Orleans flavour as well as that darkness that seems to come naturally to a man who is the owner of a distinctive deep and dark but expressive vocal style that includes a tremendous soulfulness. Overall everything is blended into a highly individual brew of roots music that is laden with catchy hooks, strong melodies and powerful lyrics.
Of the twelve tracks on the album, two are excellent instrumentals, one of which opens the album, the just over two minutes Root For The Bull and sets the dark atmosphere that envelopes much of the album with it’s repetitive drum stomp and piano that gradually builds in power and intensity. This is followed by Darkness Come Creeping a dark powerful tale with more stomping contagious drums, organ, deep twangy guitar and Keyes deep raw vocals providing yet more darkness on a sinister tale of someone haunted by not only his past but also the future on a sumnation of the dark side of life. Little Things is a lovely meandering song with piano, gorgeous sax, plus trumpet and trombone and his vocals that have an almost comforting, if raw, melodicism, with the brass giving the song a powerful jazzy New Orleans feel. It is a rare talent that can take these various disparate elements and turn them into a recording that has such a beautiful flow to it. Sometimes has a melodic bluesy guitar sound with powerful drum and catchy twangy bass, allied to the deep vocal and catchy harmonies on a terrific song that covers many of the emotions inherent in life, and includes a melody and tempo that stays with you long after the song has finished! Next up is another tremendous instrumental. This one is called Miles Of Blue and is propelled by a lovely dark tawngy guitar and a tempo that is reminiscent of a native American war dance that we’ve all seen in the movies, with a haunting drum and bass beat and eerie effects in the background that makes this instrumental powerful and memorable. The final song on the album is The Traveler with Keyes spooky deep dark vocal supported by a propulsive drum and cymbals on a strange otherworldly song that has a sinister atmosphere.
This is music that in many ways sits in it’s own generic field, almost waiting for the music business to catch up and catch on to it’s excellence. There is nothing soaringly spectacular, something the mainstream seems to demand, it is simply terrific music, excellent songs, a tremendous and totally individual vocalist playing music of great quality and depth that kow tows to no one. Long may James Keyes continue to plough his highly individual furrow!
http://jameskeyes.com/
This is James Keyes third album and as such confirms the quality of his music with all three being essential listening if you like roots music with great depth that blends country, blues, folk, Americana and any number of other sub genres within roots music. Often those styles are blended into the same song, many of which are dark musically as well as lyrically. His deep evocative vocals add to the atmosphere of his high quality writing often leaving me wishing he had made more albums, such is his all round quality! This album perhaps veers a little more in a rock direction than his previous album 2011s ‘Devil take the hindmost’ although the change is not huge and it is still recognizably from the same artist and retains much of the deep darkness that he has such a talent for!
On this album James wrote all of the songs, handles lead vocals and plays guitar, piano, organ and harp as well as bass on some songs. Duncan Arsenault is on drums, Jeff Burch, bass, JP Beausoleil on trumpet, Klem Klimek, sax and Josh Kane on trombone. These musicians are all incredibly talented people who add so much atmospheric colour to each and every song, without ever trying to overwhelm proceedings or resort to any histrionics. The tempos and stylistic leanings are varied on these little snippets of lifes ups and downs, with the weighting heavily in favour of the downs! To the already mentioned stylistic blend can be added a sometimes jazzy New Orleans flavour as well as that darkness that seems to come naturally to a man who is the owner of a distinctive deep and dark but expressive vocal style that includes a tremendous soulfulness. Overall everything is blended into a highly individual brew of roots music that is laden with catchy hooks, strong melodies and powerful lyrics.
Of the twelve tracks on the album, two are excellent instrumentals, one of which opens the album, the just over two minutes Root For The Bull and sets the dark atmosphere that envelopes much of the album with it’s repetitive drum stomp and piano that gradually builds in power and intensity. This is followed by Darkness Come Creeping a dark powerful tale with more stomping contagious drums, organ, deep twangy guitar and Keyes deep raw vocals providing yet more darkness on a sinister tale of someone haunted by not only his past but also the future on a sumnation of the dark side of life. Little Things is a lovely meandering song with piano, gorgeous sax, plus trumpet and trombone and his vocals that have an almost comforting, if raw, melodicism, with the brass giving the song a powerful jazzy New Orleans feel. It is a rare talent that can take these various disparate elements and turn them into a recording that has such a beautiful flow to it. Sometimes has a melodic bluesy guitar sound with powerful drum and catchy twangy bass, allied to the deep vocal and catchy harmonies on a terrific song that covers many of the emotions inherent in life, and includes a melody and tempo that stays with you long after the song has finished! Next up is another tremendous instrumental. This one is called Miles Of Blue and is propelled by a lovely dark tawngy guitar and a tempo that is reminiscent of a native American war dance that we’ve all seen in the movies, with a haunting drum and bass beat and eerie effects in the background that makes this instrumental powerful and memorable. The final song on the album is The Traveler with Keyes spooky deep dark vocal supported by a propulsive drum and cymbals on a strange otherworldly song that has a sinister atmosphere.
This is music that in many ways sits in it’s own generic field, almost waiting for the music business to catch up and catch on to it’s excellence. There is nothing soaringly spectacular, something the mainstream seems to demand, it is simply terrific music, excellent songs, a tremendous and totally individual vocalist playing music of great quality and depth that kow tows to no one. Long may James Keyes continue to plough his highly individual furrow!
http://jameskeyes.com/