[rating=7.00]
Mentions of dreams are sprinkled through Radio Sounds, veteran Nashville guitarist Tony Keats’ debut album as a singer-songwriter. It’s fair to say Keats has been wanting to go in his own direction for some time now after spending a decade on the road in the Southeast, playing gigs and waiting tables, never losing sight of his musical goals. He eventually settled in Music City, got a regular job, did some session work and live gigs with singer-songwriters, accumulating more ideas along the way.
Keats says, “It got to the point where I was waiting tables between rehearsals and shows and saving my change, literally in jars. Frustrated from what felt like a lack of growth, I cashed it in at a grocery store, bought a computer and enrolled in software programming class. He continues, talking about writing songs, “This was before everyone had Garage Band on their laptop and a recording device in their pocket. What I didn’t realize was that this would ultimately move me into the direction that I thought I was drifting away from.” Biding his time may have paid off – at least in terms of getting a strong producer – Dave Coleman.
This is not the usual somewhat twangy fare that Coleman usually helms, be it Lyn Taylor & The BarFlies or even Ned Hill. Keats is closer to British pop of Elvis Costello or rockers like the Replacements than he is to most of his fellow singer-songwriters residing in Nashville or East Nashville. He even covers Van Morrison’s “Cleaning Windows,” giving it the proper funky treatment. The album moves at a crisp pace as Keats heartfelt vocals move shift from mid-tempo tunes like “East Nashville Fireflies” to rave-up rockers, the best being “The Getaway.” A real gem is “Raining in New Orleans,” similar in subject matter though much different musically than John Hiatt’s classic “Feels Like Rain,” it somehow manages to evoke a similar feeling.
There’s a wide array of instrumentation as Keats is backed by five players, including Coleman on guitar. Keyboards, pedal steel, and horns also factor into the mix. Somehow, despite the eclectic nature of the album and numerous dynamic changes, nothing seems especially jarring. It hangs together surprisingly well. As you would expect, given the importance of his debut, and Coleman’s input, the sound is sharply clear.
Keats talks about the upbeat album this way, “Most of these songs reflect on growth, change and continuing to move toward something – whether it be art, love or happiness. I no longer think in terms of destinations or end results but more in terms of paths and changes.”
Clearly Keats is a thinking man. The album title and first track might be a less than subtle hint for some airplay. The closing track, “The Dream” has these lines: “When you dream of something for so long/it’s not the something that sets you free/it’s the dream.” Keats can keep dreaming. This auspicious debut shows promise, with plenty of hooks and a flair for songwriting.
