FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 10, 2005
ROBERT EARL KEEN’S NEW CD, WHAT I REALLY MEAN , SET FOR MAY 10 RELEASE ON KOCH RECORDS NASHVILLE
HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FOLLOW-UP TO FARM FRESH ONIONS
PRODUCED BY RICH BROTHERTON AND MIXED BY ED CHERNEY
LOS ANGELES – Legendary singer/songwriter Robert Earl Keen recently completed his 11th album project in a Burbank studio with Grammy Award-winning engineer Ed Cherney (Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy). Set for release May 10, 2005, What I Really Mean features special guests Ray Price (vocals), Danny Barnes (banjo) and is sprinkled with some eclectic touches (gospel singers and Mariachi players among them).
As was the case with REK’s critically acclaimed 2003 Koch Records debut, Farm Fresh Onions, the new project was recorded with his road band, enhancing the listening experience and capturing the excitement of a live performance. Rich Brotherton, who has been REK’s lead guitarist for several years, produced the record, marking his second production effort for REK. Brotherton has been listed among the 100 best guitar players in America by several publications and has worked with Shawn Colvin, Toni Price, Ronnie Lane and Eliza Gilkyson to name a few.
Keen has inspired much praise from music critics over the years. Rolling Stone wrote of Farm Fresh Onions: “Keen takes a page from Lucinda Williams, backing up his unassuming, dusky tunes with punchy guitars and well-manicured country-rock grooves” Billboard added: “Keen has delivered one of the best records of his career.” Performing Songwriter called it “A compelling collection of songs stamped with Keen’s trademark mix of lyricism, breezy humor and intelligence.” And No Depression observed: “A very funny, clever and ambitious writer...Keen sounds here like an artist renewed.” Keen has also been a stalwart presence on late-night television and NPR.
Cherney, who mixed the recording, has distinguished himself as a recording and mixing engineer as well as a producer. His R&B roots in Chicago served as a solid foundation for his later work with such rock and pop artists as Bob Dylan, the B-52’s and Roy Orbison. He received a Grammy for Engineer of the Year for Bonnie Raitt’s Longing In Their Hearts.
The first single, the title track “What I Really Mean,” will ship to radio on March 23.
“Farm Fresh Onions turned out so great that Rich and I immediately decided to make another record,” Keen says. “The first person we called was Ed Cherney. He’s the MVP. We like Ed’s version of our vision.”
For more information on Robert Earl Keen and his new project visit http://www.robertearlkeen.com or http://www.kochrecords.com
Keen will headline the Americana Music Association Showcase at SXSW on Thursday, March 17, at 12 midnight at Antone’s in Austin. Keen and band will hit the road in early spring only to return home at year’s end.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 10, 2004
ROBERT EARL KEEN’S CLASSIC CDs REISSUED ON KOCH RECORDS WITH SUPER AUDIO, EXTRA TRACKS AND KEEN’S “DIRECTORS CUT” SEQUENCING
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Three classic albums from Robert Earl Keen will be reissued by Koch Records on August 24. Two of the three albums – No Kinda Dancer and A Bigger Piece of the Sky – will be made available in Super Audio (SADC) format. A third CD, No. 2 Live Diner, is the biggest selling album of Keen’s career yet had been out of print for a year.
No Kinda Dancer is Keen’s debut album, the one that first brought the wit and wisdom of Robert Earl Keen to the world’s attention. The album features stark arrangements and dark lyrics in a basically acoustic performance. It shows a young singer/songwriter who is on his way to writing some classic songs, including “The Front Porch Song,” co-written by Lyle Lovett. The album also features appearances by Lyle Lovett, Joe Ely and Nanci Griffith.
The new Koch SACD reissue of No Kinda Dancer features 14 tracks including three songs not on the original American release and on song (“The Vacuum Cleaner Has No name”) never before released in any form.
A Bigger Piece of Sky was originally released in 1993 and is considered by many to be one of his best. Recorded in Nashville, the album features contributions from Marty Stuart among other notables. Keen’s songs begin to explore the themes and paint the images that he would become known for. This SACD-remastered album is re-sequenced the way that Keen had originally envisioned for the recording.
The live album No. 2 Live Diner was released in 1996 on Sugarhill Records and has become the best selling album of Keen’s career. Recorded at the Flores County Store and the Cactus Café Ballroom in 1995. It captures REK and his band at their best, playing before an enthusiastic crowd. The album, which features 17 live tracks, features a guest appearance by Lloyd Maines on pedal steel guitar.
The three reissues follow Keen’s artistically and commercially triumphant 2003 album, Farm Fresh Onions. Performing Songwriter magazine proclaimed it “a compelling collection of songs stamped with Keen’s trademark mix of lyricism, breezy humor and intelligence.” Billboard added: ““Keen has delivered one of the best records of his career.”
According to Keen, “These are three of my favorite records. We worked very hard to bring more to the party. Hope you enjoy the music. Thanks to the fans that keep this going.”
About the SADC format:
In addition to exceptional sound quality through the DSD system, the SACD format can accommodate more than four times the information of the current CD format. With this extra capacity, a standard Super Audio CD provides space for two-channel stereo data, as well as an area for up to six-track multi-channel data, storage capacity for text and images, disc variations, copyright protection and much more. The hybrid SACD format featured on No Kinda Dancer and A Bigger Piece Of Sky plays on all CD players.
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