The Rose Hotel

Not REK's best by a long shot
I have waited several weeks to review this, while listening to the CD, hoping it would grow on me. I have long been a huge fan of Robert Earl Keen, and generally can listen to his CD's over and over without growing tired of them, but I am sad to say that this CD, with the exception of 'The Rose Hotel' and 'Wireless in Heaven' really does not do much for me. I have never before had to try to let one of his CD's 'grow' on me, I have always loved them at first listen. The song '10,000 Chinese Walk Into A Bar' I cannot stand to listen to. I have to skip that track, something I have not done since I skipped Yoko Ono's tracks that were in-between John Lennon's on one of his albums. 'Village Inn' sounds like it was composed by reading an advertisement of the place. 'Something I Do' may be true, but it is a yawner. I do not find myself singing any of the songs during the day, or thinking about the lyrics. There is one thing that is absolutely outstanding on the CD, and to me it makes it well worth buying- and that is the banjo playing. The banjo player has to be the very best I have ever heard, and he is the bright spot and the salvation of the CD. It is a shame that there are not any songs that I truly love, songs like 'What I Really Mean', 'Feeling Good Again', 'A Border Tragedy', 'Let the Music Play', 'Gringo Honeymoon', and on and on I could go....

Best studio album since "Gringo"
The Rose Hotel, to my mind is REK's best studio album since Gringo Honeymoon.....Lloyd Maines production takes REK to new heights and this CD doesn't have a bad cut on it! The sound is pristine. Turn it up! My only fear is that I will wear it out...

Good Variety of Moods and Tempos
I am not a Robert Earl Keen completeist and confess to owning only a couple of other Keen recordings. But I picked this up recently because I happened to be in Austin at Waterloo Records on the day of its release. Well, while The Rose Hotel doesn't top albums like West Textures, it does offer the listener lots to enjoy with a good variety of moods and tempos to go along with the generally well-written songs. Here's what I like best: the solid title cut; Throwin' Rocks (except for the lame background vocals); the humorous, rollicking 10,000 Chinese Walk Into A Bar; Laughing River; and the corny, upbeat Wireless In Heaven which is chock-full of references to icons of modern life. Overall, The Rose Hotel is a very listenable album without a single cut that will have you wanting to use it as a Frisbee. If you are a rabid Keen fan already, then no doubt you'll be buying this soon. If you are a sometimes Keen fan like myself then feel assured that buying this is money well spent.

Rose Hotel - book me for a year.
I love REK, and think that this is his best album since #2 Live Diner. The only way it could be better is if it WAS a live album. Maybe next year.

Another Winner
I have been listening to Robert Earl Keen for over 20 years and he never fails to amaze me with his ability to consistently write great songs that a very diverse group of people can relate to. Whether they are his creative story songs or his narratives on life and love, Keen is more than just an observer in life. The Rose Hotel is another great offering that is worth purchasing for the title cut and his amazing reworking of the classic Townes Van Zandt ballad, "Flyin' Shoes" alone. The CD is more rhythmically driven than any of his other records, with driving and locking bass and drums giving the songs a sense of urgency and movement. There are also more vocal parts on this CD than any other Keen release that I can remember. He has streamlined his lyrics to the point of where he says more with less and they are a little more generic than on past releases (which is not necessarily a bad thing). I give it 4 stars instead of five because it is a little uneven in places, but it's still worthy of Keen's best work (in areas) and has a number of wonderful songs on it. This music can still be considered of the Americana genre, with the kind of country roots that Keen always pays homage to. It was produced by Lloyd Maines, the great pedal steel player and producer,(and, yes, he's Natalie's father). Keen's band headed by Rich Brotherton is still providing solid support and they play brilliantly yet again on this release. If you are a fan of Robert's, this is a must purchase and a logical progression to where he seems to be going as a songwriter. If you are new to Robert Earl, you might want to pick up The Walking Distance and Farm Fresh Onions first and then progress to this release because it will make more sense. Thanks, Robert, for your continued excellent contribution to the Great Americana Songbook!