Picnic (Arista Austin)
For years now, folks ’round these parts have said that Robert Earl Keen was destined to follow in the footsteps of his old college buddy, Lyle Lovett. Welcome to Picnic, with its million-dollar single, “Over the Waterfall.” Check out the million-dollar follow-ups, too, like James McMurtry’s “Levelland,” and Dave Alvin’s “Fourth of July,” or Keen’s own “Undone,” “Oh Rosie,” and “Shades of Grey.” Million-dollar singles, all of ’em, dropping like sacks of gold from a million-dollar album. This is the one where it all comes together, Keen’s songwriting (always terrific), his voice (in the past, a bit thin), the covers (covers, for such a strong songwriter?), the production (warm, rich, acoustics), the instrumentation (guitarists Rich Brotherton and Gurf Morlix are so fine), even the artwork (from Keen’s infamous story about one of Willie’s picnics). It’s all here. Picnic transcends Keen’s heretofore rustic charm, that bigger piece of Texas sky — the road that goes on forever — settling on more of a Sunday-go-to-meeting cosmopolitan sophistication. Sound familiar? Keen’s not as parlor-smooth as Lovett, not quite as urban(e) — not so Nashville — keeping just enough back-porch feistiness to evoke John Mellencamp in all the right spots, but he’s certainly closed the gap. Until then, Picnic is easily Keen’s best album, a million-dollar album, really, and you can take that to the bank.
4.0 Stars — Raoul Hernandez
This article appears in April 25 • 1997 and April 25 • 1997 (Cover).