Robert Earl Keen to Release “Happy Prisoner” Bluegrass Album
Robert Earl Keen may be best known for his storytelling songs and laid back Texas country style, but for Keen’s next project his grass is going blue. The Houston, TX native has been working on a bluegrass album over the last couple of years, and Happy Prisoner: The Bluegrass Sessions is scheduled to come out in February 2015 through Dualtone Records.
“I didn’t write any of the songs, and we put it together with my band,” Robert Earl Keen tells The Nashville Scene. “Lyle [Lovett] sang on a song, and Peter Rowan sang on a song, and Natalie Maines sang ‘The Wayfaring Stranger’ with me. Kym Warner played the mandolin, and Sara Watkins played fiddle. Danny Barnes played the banjo. So it’s all over the map it’s Flatt and Scruggs, some ‘traditional, arranged-by,’ you know, that kind of thing. The Stanley Brothers, [John] Hartford a life-long love of bluegrass. I thought, you know, if I don’t do this now, I’m never gonna do it.”
Keen told the Austin Chronicle in 2013 that the inspiration for the album came out of getting a little bored with the status quo. He tracked out over 26 songs for the album (and counting), and purposely didn’t write a lick of music for the project.
“I could sit down and make up some fake bluegrass songs, but I just thought it would sound really contrived … There’s some arranging and editing going on, but I wanted to make the songs sound like how bluegrass songs sound to me … I write all the time. I’m just trying to do something different. Maybe I’m a little bored with some of it. I do feel with as many records as I’ve put out and as long as I’ve been in this business, I do feel a little bit at a loss for what to do that’s really interesting. How many zillions of songs are out there? It’s like a movie. It starts off following a camel, then you widen the scene and there’s some palm trees and some sand. Then it becomes a country, then it becomes the world, then it becomes the universe. It’s like, ‘Jesus, can we stop with the songwriting for just a second?'”
What songs can we expect from the new bluegrass album? Keen continues to Nashville Scene,
“We did ‘Hot Corn, Cold Corn,’ a Flatt and Scruggs song … It’s pretty foot-stompin’ and hollerin’ kind of stuff. We did ‘Poor Ellen Smith’ and we made it extremely soulful … There was some movement around, you know, sometimes. Like The Stanley Brothers’ ‘The White Dove,’ we did that just solid straight. I’m not out to re-invent the format. I love to do that, but at the same time, the risk is you just don’t do the song justice. I think in terms of what works for the song, just like I do with my own songs: ‘Hey, this is really good, and this would be nice and sparse. And we’re gonna have this one really in your face.’ It’s a great record it sounds great.”
Keen has of course dabbled in bluegrass throughout his career. His song “The Bluegrass Widow” from Keen’s 1998 The Live Album lists off traditional bluegrass tunes as it tells its story.
September 11, 2014 @ 10:15 am
This news makes my year. Love Keen.
September 11, 2014 @ 10:34 am
I have heard this was going to happen for quite awhile. I am super excited to see how the final product turns out. REK is a artist so to hear his take on bluegrass classics is going to be interesting. Several years back another Texas music Icon Jerry Jeff Walker put an album of Jazz standards simply called “Jazz” it is a intersting and fun listen. Again, always cool to hear iconic artists share their take on the music they love.
September 11, 2014 @ 12:13 pm
I think it’s interesting he says he’s getting a little bored with writing new songs. He has so much original material that I’m excited to hear him do some covers that are so different from his usual material.
And, the players and other artists he’s got on this album should make it a killer project!
September 11, 2014 @ 1:29 pm
Wow, what a band that would be to see live.
Robert Earl Keen: Guitar, Vocals
Kym Warner: Mandolin
Sara Watkins: Fiddle
Danny Barnes: Banjo
I’m going to keep my eye on the schedule for the Station Inn in Nashville. Wouldn’t be surprised to see that venue have the record release show.
September 11, 2014 @ 2:40 pm
The fact that he is a little bored, has come through in the last couple of albums he has released. I’ve always been a big REK fan, but I was disappointed in The Rose Hotel and Ready for Confetti. A couple good songs on each, but overall, just average. His first several albums were great, and then Farm Fresh Onions was a dud. But then he came back with What I Really Mean, which is one of his best.
September 11, 2014 @ 4:09 pm
Sounds like fun… but I would like to see him try to write a bluegrass song. I am quite sure he could do it well,
September 12, 2014 @ 2:35 am
A couple of things I’m thankful for: Robert Earl Keen, and KNON-FM in Dallas, whose DJs on the Super Roper Redneck Review introduced me to Keen (and tons of others) back in the early ’80s.
September 12, 2014 @ 4:44 am
I’m a huge REK fan, so this news thrills me. I’m with RD though in that I felt his last two albums were a little lackluster – here’s hoping he can get back on track with this release.
September 15, 2014 @ 9:33 am
I hope that Rich Brotherton performs on the CD – he is quite an unsung talent.
I saw REK do an a capella bluegrass song or 2 on his 3rd curtain call at a show earlier this year.
I can’t wait for this CD.
I just picked up Alan Jackson’s bluegrass CD last week.
I have REK discs in all 6 of my car’s CD player right now.
He is obviously one of my favorite singer-songwriters of all time.
December 2, 2014 @ 9:53 am
I have every REK album, and am ever amazed by his songwriting abilities. He is simply the best.