Robert Earl Keen is something of a barroom legend in his native Texas, where his gigs usually attract large crowds of well-oiled admirers who are predictably eager to hear comic songs like "The Five Bound Bass," "Barbeque," "Merry Christmas from the Family," and "Copenhagen" (which, since these are Texans we're talking about, is about the chewing tobacco and not the city). Of course, anyone who's spent much time with
Keen's albums knows there's a lot more to his work than that -- he's a superb narrative tunesmith who can write about tragedy and heartbreak just as well as he can milk a crowd for laughs -- and while this compilation, assembled by his former label, Sugar Hill, attempts to honor both sides of
Keen's personality, the title and the arm-waving cactus cover art make it clear where the greatest emphasis lies. And as such things go,
The Party Never Ends: Songs You Know from the Times You Can't Remember is an enjoyable overview of
Keen's work for Sugar Hill; while it's drawn from only three of the six albums he recorded for the label, there are several solid laugh-getters (including the four aforementioned tunes), as well as some excellent tunes in a more serious vein, most notably "Dreadful Selfish Crime," "I'm Comin' Home," "Gringo Honeymoon," and "The Road Goes on Forever" (which is sort of the title song, though the phrase is used with a large degree of sarcasm). As a one-disc introduction to
Robert Earl Keen or a one-stop shopping place for his less discriminating fans,
The Party Never Ends: Songs You Know from the Times You Can't Remember does its job and does it well, but beginners are advised to explore
Keen's catalog for a broader portrait if this is at all to your taste. ~ Mark Deming