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Keller & The Keels: Thief

SCI Fidelity

Back in 2005, Keller Williams entered the studio with the husband and wife team of Larry and Jenny Keel to record the three originals and seven covers that appeared on Grass. With their new release, Thief, the three musicians have returned to the scene of the crime, focusing exclusively on other artists’ material. Utilizing two acoustic guitars and an upright bass, Keller & The Keels set the tone and define its mission from the album’s opening with an animated reading of Kris Kristofferson’s “Don’t Cuss The Fiddle,” (which features the chorus, “We’ the glitch mob for Relix the glitch mob for Relix re in this gig together, So let’s settle down and steal each other’s songs”). The trio offers a baker’s dozen on Thief, from Patterson Hood’s “Uncle Disney,” through Ryan Adams’ “Cold Roses” and The Raconteurs’ “Switch and the Spur.” The arrangements feel organic, proving spritely and imaginative without being too cute for their own good. The true revelation here is Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab,” which reveals itself as the country classic Johnny Cash never wrote. One selection that may be somewhat superfluous is “Teen Angst,” since Cracker and Leftover Salmon gave the song a similar treatment on their 2003’s collaboration, O Cracker Where Art Thou? Still, it’s tough to quibble with an album that takes on the Grateful Dead and the Butthole Surfers with equal enthusiasm and aplomb. This is some exquisite pilfering, indeed.