CD Review

The one-man minstrel Keller Williams has teamed up with his good friends Larry and Jenny Keel to release Grass, a fun loving and light-hearted album that features their fine collaborative cohesion. This album is humorous, easily digestible, and just plain old fun listening. Although this album is not going to be winning any Grammy awards for best album, its selection of choice originals and reworked covers are well worth the price.

Armed only with acoustic instruments and their fine vocal harmonies this trio leads us through the opening track of Goof Balls which never fails to make me chuckle and tap my foot simultaneously. The trio’s comfortable interplay is evident in their first jam on the album, and their strong vocal harmonies ring out through this track. Larry Keel is a terrific soloist, and this short but sweet lead just foreshadows what could be expected from him the rest of the album.

From there they lead us through two of their more interesting cover choices on the album. Their version of "Another Brick in the Wall" is an interesting acoustic interpretation of this Pink Floyd classic. I doubt that Roger Waters ever envisioned his masterpiece to be taken in this bluegrass direction. Covering both part one and two of "Another Brick in the Wall" in this one track, Keller’s vocals sound crisp and on mark, and again the interplay between all three musicians is outstanding. They just weave their notes so easily in and out of one another that it almost seems too easy.

This was followed by maybe the most surprising selection on this album, a Tom Petty melted medley of" Mary Jane’s Last Dance" sandwiched around "Breakdown." Keller even picked up the banjo and a little country twang in his vocals for this one

This album then takes all kinds of twists and turns including a couple of Grateful Dead tunes; "Loser" (which also featured a Beck reference from the song with the same name) and "Dupree Diamond Blues." There is also a cover of "New Horizons," a contemporary acoustic piece written by Yonder Mountain String Band’s front man Jeff Austin. A humorous Mother Hips song "Stunt Double" continues the humorous theme. Of course there are a couple more of Keller’s own tunes including "Crater in the Backyard" and "Local," which are both distinctly Keller. The album ends on a high note with the most classic bluegrass tune on the album of "I’m Just Here to get my Baby out of Jail."

Keller and the Keels have the perfect sunny drive album. If you like a healthy mix of quality bluegrass picking, uniquely Keller originals and humor and, classic covers this album should make its way into your collection.