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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
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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
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