Robert Earl Keen
Among the large contingent of talented songwriters who emerged in Texas in the 1980s and 1990s, Robert Earl Keen struck an unusual balance between sensitive story-portraits (Corpus Christi Bay) and raucous barroom fun (That Buckin' Song). Keen made a splash in Austin with his debut album, No Kinda Dancer, self-financed in 1984. He moved to Nashville during the heady experimentalism of the 1980s that saw Lyle Lovett and K.D. Lang hit the country scene, but he soon returned to Austin. Texas landscapes and residents provided him with creative inspiration, as his second album, West Textures made clear. Keen recorded a live album No. 2 Live Dinner in 1996 and took time to accumulate new material. The 1997 album Picnic, again moved in the direction of alternative country, featuring Keen in a duet with the Cowboy Junkies' Margo Timmins, while 1998's Walking Distance featured sparer textures. Keen released the album Gravitational Forces in 2001 and he also devoted time to his influential annual concert series and talent festival, Texas Uprising, which took place at several venues around Texas and the Far West. Farm Fresh Onions was released in 2003, followed by What I Really Mean in 2005. ~ James Manheim, All Music Guide More information about Robert Earl Keen can be found at: www.robertearlkeen.com
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