Robert Earl Keen

The Party Never Ends:
Songs You Know from the Times You Can't Remember

(Sugar Hill)

First Appeared at The Music Box, December 2003, Volume 10, #12

Written by John Metzger

The Party Never Ends: Songs You Know from the Times You Can’t Remember isn’t the soundtrack for a frat party, nor is it a greatest hits collection or a comprehensive examination of singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen’s early catalog. Then again, it doesn’t try to be any of these things. Instead, it simply stands as both a terrific overview of Keen’s time with the Sugar Hill label as well as a well-rounded and wonderful introduction to an artist who deserves far more attention than he generally receives.

Keen’s latest endeavor Farm Fresh Onions certainly was a bit of a disappointment. Though he broke new ground musically, his songwriting faltered for the first time in his career. Perhaps that’s the real reason why he was so unhappy with the timing of The Party Never Ends’ release. One listen to the compilation, and it highlights exactly where Farm Fresh Onions went sour. Granted, one could think of countless songs with inferior lyrics or more misguided melodies, but stacked next to the memorable moments from Keen’s past — of which there are far more than those featured on The Party Never Ends — Farm Fresh Onions looks weak.

That’s not to say that The Party Never Ends is perfect, either. Tracks like the silly chewing tobacco tale Copenhagen and the vegetarian hell of Barbecue are absolute throwaways. Certainly, there are better tunes from his catalog that could have stood in their place. Yet, it is easy to forgive Keen for these foibles when songs like Merry Christmas from the Family, It’s Just the Little Things, and Gringo Honeymoon work so damn well while demonstrating that there’s as much Loudon Wainwright drifting through his lyrics as there is Townes Van Zandt.

The Party Never Ends: Songs You Know from the Times
You Can't Remember  is available from
Barnes & Noble. To order, Click Here!

Ratings

1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2003 The Music Box