Robert Earl Keen - No. 2 Live Dinner

If you, like me, have never had the honor of seeing a Robert Earl Keen show live, then this album is something you really need. I suppose REK's fan following already have it, and know the powerful glow of being in the presence of the genius. Either way, it's a rollicking good time, with plenty of top-notch music, tongue-in- cheek lyrics with a smart-aleck appeal, and some of the finest picking in Texas. REK and his band know how to do it up proper.

"Smart" might be the first word that comes to mind when thinking about Robert Earl Keen. Possibly "cynical," or even "a little subversive"; in any case, what he achieves with his music has garnered for him a massive fan base and an underground mythos that makes intoning his name in song a sly way of saying, "Hey, I'm cool." Of course all those who are "in the know" grok REK. His fans are definitely "in the know," and they gather at his concerts to sing along, shout the right responses, and just plain have a good ol' time with a good ol' Texas small-town boy, who knows the ins and outs of roots music so well he doesn't need any friggin' pretension. He just IS that good.

Keen did this disc for his fans, giving them a little something of the show to take home, but sadly for those of us who've never seen it, there is a lack. Fortunately, it's a lack that makes you yearn to learn more, want to find out where the boy is touring (hopefully outside of Texas, but the next time he comes this way, I have to inform him that the Rhythm Room is in Phoenix, not Scottsdale). There's just enough of this show to make you want to be there, listening closely to each instrument, joining in the general cacophony of the crowd, and drinking. From the sound, a lot of drinking. Welcome to the beer hall, it's gonna be a rowdy night.

Whatever REK's charms for his fans, it's obvious why he's a giant in the Americana/country roots movement. Listen, and get in the know.