A Bigger Piece of Sky

A Bigger Piece of Sky

Track Listings

1. So I Can Take My Rest

2. Whenever Kindness Fails

3. Amarillo Highway

4. Night Right for Love

5. Jesse With the Long Hair...

6. Blow You Away

7. Here in Arkansas

8. Daddy Had a Buick

9. Corpus Christi Bay

10. Crazy Cowboy Dream

11. Paint the Town Beige

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Robert Earl Keen is the Sam Peckinpah of the singer-songwriter movement. Almost alone in a field dominated by "sensitive" types, Keen is willing to write songs about America's--especially his native Texas'--obsession with guns and violence. Although he is often pigeonholed (and not without reason) as a comic songwriter, guns are all over his fourth album, A Bigger Piece of the Sky. Keen is not a great singer (he sounds like Jerry Jeff Walker with a cold), but he is one of the best lyricists in a state crawling with them.

Keen's "Jesse with the Long Hair...," for example, is a Peckinpah movie condensed to three succinct verses. It stars wanted-man Jesse, his ambivalent girl friend Luann, his old pal Sheriff Paul and the corrupt banker Mr. Brown; you may have to listen several times to figure out what happens when all four pull out their guns. "Blow You Away" is a more modern tale of paranoia; each verse describes an everyday scene (stopping at a gas station, cashing a check at the bank) that could suddenly erupt into violence. The violence never comes--and the song, appropriately enough, doesn't have a chorus--but Keen's voice and Marty Stuart's mandolin keep increasing the tension.

The album also includes a lovely romantic duet with Maura O'Connell and ends with three fine songs about a Corpus Christi drunk, a rodeo rider and a desperado turned fisherman, all growing old gracefully. Nonetheless the highlights include "Here in Arkansas," the complaint of a recently murdered man rendered ghostly by George Marinelli's slide guitar, and "Whenever Kindness Fails," an explanation of why the singer uses his gun to teach simple courtesy. Joe Ely covered the latter song on his last album, and if Keen can't hope to match Ely's vocal, at least he can surround the song with others of the same strange sensibility. --Geoffrey Himes

Tracks:

Amarillo Highway
Corpus Christi Bay
Whenever Kindness Fails
Blow You Away
Jesse With The Long Hair
Night Right For Love
Paint The Town Beige
Daddy Had A Buick
Crazy Cowboy Dreams
Here In Arkansas
So I Can Take The Rest
Blow you Away- reprise

Customer Reviews:

One of His Best.......2006-08-13

If you become a Robert Earl Keen, Jr. fan as I have, you probably own most or all of his music. I would put this CD just below West Textures and Gringo Honeymoon, and far above some of his others. Amarillo Highway and Corpus Christi Bay are a great start to this re-release, and other highlights include the story of "Jesse" (that song is good once you figure out the story), Night Right for Love, Paint the Town Beige and Crazy Cowboy Dreams. If you are a fan of REK you will not regret buying this CD!

taco thoughts.......2005-04-24

Arguably my favorite Keen disc, from back in the days when you could actually go to an REK show and hear him sing his songs himself. It's discs like this one that have made that impossible - now it's hard to hear Keen's voice over the crowd's singing. Both the crowd and Keen sing a little flat, and maybe a little off-key at times ... the best thing is that his unique voice only makes his songs better. Each track on this disc is listenable ... with more than half of them being superb Keen songs. "Whenever Kindness Fails" is the best this album offers, for me; its theme hits home ... one of those songs that makes you feel like an artist wrote it for you. "Amarillo Highway" is a great take on the Terry Allen original, revved up and stomping when REK sings it. The tale of long-haired Jesse is a classic Keen story, even better than "The Road Goes On Forever" (that surpasses it only in popularity). Of course, "Corpus Christi Bay" is on this disc ... along with "Crazy Cowboy Dream" and "Paint the Town Beige." Some Keen discs may have bigger hits. Some Keen discs may be less eclectic, more consumer-oriented. But this disc has more quality REK material than any of his others. This disc is a must-have for any quality music junkie. Buy it ... you'll see.

What an introduction to an enduring Americana legend!.......2004-09-03

This album was my first introduction to Robert Earl Keen, about 12 years ago. From the stack of years between now and then, I can see where this album is where he really found his voice, moved a little past "gosh I'm tryin' for country" and made Americana Music his own. His lyrics are funny, quirky, sometimes unsettling, and speak truely. "Corpus Christi Bay" is one of my deep all-time favorites, and "Paint The Town Beige"...well, anyone of a certain age can appreciate what he's saying.

His voice is a little raw, a little not-perfect, just like you and me. Try it, you'll be hooked just like I was.

Average customer rating:

Great REK
Keen At His Best
Taco Thoughts
Fantastic CD... Hard to beat...
Longhorns suck

A Bigger Piece Of Sky
Jr. Robert Earl Keen
Manufacturer: Sugarhill [Country]
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000000EWR
Release Date: 1993-10-08

Tracks:

So I Can Take My Rest
Whenever Kindness Fails
Amarillo Highway
Night Right For Love
Jesse With The Long Hair...
Blow You Away
Here In Arkansas
Daddy Had A Buick
Corpus Christi Bay
Crazy Cowboy Dream
Paint The Town Beige
Bonus Track 1

Amazon.com

Robert Earl Keen is the Sam Peckinpah of the singer-songwriter movement. Almost alone in a field dominated by "sensitive" types, Keen is willing to write songs about America's--especially his native Texas'--obsession with guns and violence. Although he is often pigeonholed (and not without reason) as a comic songwriter, guns are all over his fourth album, A Bigger Piece of the Sky. Keen is not a great singer (he sounds like Jerry Jeff Walker with a cold), but he is one of the best lyricists in a state crawling with them.

Customer Reviews:

Great REK.......2005-08-29

This is the second REK album I ever bought and it is still one of my favorites to this day. A true music legend.

Keen At His Best.......2003-09-28

This is without doubt my favorite REK cd. Every song on the album is masterfully written and Keen's ability to tell a story is phenomenal. True to Keen's form, Bigger Piece of Sky's songs are filled with colorful characters yet boast a complexity rarely seen in modern country. Whenever Kindness Fails and Here in Arkansas are especially gripping. If you are unfamiliar with the artist and wish to hear him at his best, look no further - Bigger Piece of Sky is as good as it gets.

Taco Thoughts.......2002-02-11

Fantastic CD... Hard to beat..........2001-10-29

This is one of my favorite CDs. Every song on it is consistently good. It was composed before the band lost Duckworth, so this is REK at his best! If you like country and are tired of the top-40 they play on country radio these days, try this.

Longhorns suck.......2001-08-13

This is truley one of the best albums to come out of Texas in a long while. Do yourself a favor and buy this along with all of Keen's other albums. If your lucky, this will open the door to many other Texas songwriters you'll get to know if you look around. Keen's music is the next best thing to actually moving to Texas.