Arts & Entertainment
 

Williams sings of Martians, cannibals

Country singer blends many instruments, imaginative lyrics in creating his own sound

By Ray Hafner
The Daily Cougar

Keller Williams lives the most laid back life ever. He looks just like Jack Black and plays most of his shows barefoot, wearing nothing flashier than a white T-shirt. If it's a special occasion, he might go crew neck instead of V-neck.

And on his latest album, Home, Williams shows that his lifestyle gets even simpler when it's just him, his dogs and pickup truck. And since that's nothing new for a country star, Williams does it jam-band style with clever guitar lines, goofy lyrics and a knack for tripping out his listeners. Even more impressive, he does it all by his lonesome -- a one-man jam band.

Photo courtesy of Sci Fidelity Recordings

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Keller Williams brings his surreal vision to listeners' ears with various instruments on his new album Home.

On "Victory Song," Williams asks the question, "Do you realize we are surrounded by an army of laser toting Martians?" His point is that while humans are busy fighting each other we could easily be taken over by aliens. He's so worried that he even goes to the trouble of composing a hypothetical Martian victory song, complete with tripped out computer sounds. 

"They will give us the option to join up on their side or to be zapped to dust, and then we will all sing it," he warns. When his thoughts turn back to planet Earth, he gets just as strange, but seemingly much wiser. 

On "Dogs," a love ballad to his pets Earl and Sheba and their powerful gas, he croons "She is the Queen of the Tundra, he is the Golden Boy." It's a dog lover's delight -- the sort of song that lulls a listener into complacency and is as sweet as anything Elton John's written.

He can also take it up a notch and whip up a frenzy -- well not a frenzy, but maybe a really strong, bad mushroom trip, like on "You Are What You Eat" where he muses on cannibalism.

Other songs come without lyrics and are rollicking good times that allow Williams to show off his instrumental dexterity. Thanks to drum loops, Williams can get a half-dozen or more instruments into the mix. He also beat boxes a little bit, making his mouth another instrument. On the CD it's impressive, but when seen live the only appropriate response is "Holy crap!"

You can get your chance to check out Williams on March 6 when he performs at The Engine Room.

Keller Williams

Home

Sci Fidelity Records

The verdict: Join Williams for a tour of the psychedelic sound he calls home. 
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