His calling card as a one-man band is well established, but on Home,
Keller Williams makes it clear that there's more than a gimmick to this picture. First of all, he has an instantly recognizable way with a lyric, which involves finding unlikely things to write about and then writing about them in unlikely ways. Subjects on this album include putting on a little extra weight, romance among dogs, moving sidewalks at airports, and the not-unrelated matters of love and cannibalism. He approaches each with a knowing innocence; this, manifested through clever wordplay and a breathy, wide-eyed delivery, render these tracks charming and disarming. On the instrumental side,
Williams barely touches the showoff elements that too often turn self-sufficient performers into circus acts. Most of the non-vocal tracks, such the
Michael Hedges-like "Skitso," are straight-ahead works, solidly conceived and smoothly played. And when he does allow a little showmanship into the mix, it never detracts from the music; those mouth effects on "Art" don't just sound like Bootsy bass -- they function musically at a similar level, too. Add the thoughtful segues that
Williams uses to link songs of similar tempo and identical key and Home turns into a unified listening experience, or one long look into an artist whose quirks cannot obscure his talent. ~ Robert L. Doerschuk