Product Description
DAVE KEYES - TWO TRAINS
Two Trains. Good/Bad. Love/Loss. Dark/Light. The Duality. Call it whatever you want. Even in the darkest moments there is light. Recently I’ve had some extreme examples of the light and the dark. Pat Cannon, the incredible woman I was blessed to be married to for 37 years, passed away in Nov. of 2023. I’ll miss her always. And life goes on. I feel the love of the world and the pain. That’s what this CD is about - the love and the pain. Two Trains. Same track. Life.
DAVE KEYES
Two Trains
MoMojo Records
Dave Keyes is a fantastic keyboard player with an infectious personality, a seasoned voice, and an instantly endearing, ear-to-ear grin. His fun-loving boogie lands him regular gigs on the Legendary R&B Cruise and at the Big Blues Bender. You’re liable to find him sitting in almost anywhere when he isn’t fronting his own band.
Las Vegas’ multitalented saxman and bandleader Jimmy Carpenter frequently enlists Keyes on his tours. “Dave is one of my best friends,” says Carpenter. “Over maybe 15 years, we’ve played many shows, hung out in exotic places, and had a ball. He’s a solid cat, a real professional, and a truly outstanding musician!” And only Leon Blue, another boogie-woogie piano tickler, can claim a moniker as descriptive of his profession.
So you’d expect this album to be good. It is. But maybe not exactly what you expect. This album isn’t just excellent musicianship, including magnificent harmonica from Rob Paparozzi and stellar guitar, mostly from John Putnam.
Keyes uses his experience – with heartbreak and loss, sorrow and recovery – to expertly lay bare those emotions, weaving a saga of despair but hope, while not being too over the top about it. Songs reveal his deep loss and attempts to work through that pain. A solo vocal-and-piano rendering of “Rest In Peace,” is so beautiful that it’s hard to imagine anyone not being moved.
Two “alright” tunes contrast each other. “I’m Alright” is a gospel-like rave up, conjuring crowds dancing in church. That joy takes a U-turn with the lowdown “I’m A Long Way From Right Right Now,” illustrating how hard the battle is. The jumping “Trust In Love And Fate” adds optimism to the mix.
There’s enough blues and boogie to satisfy. “Boogie Till The Cows Come Home” and “Boogie For Patty” show Keyes’ superior talents on the 88s. “Worried In Mind Blues” and “Blues Ain’t Looking For You” showcase, respectively, the Piedmont style (aka country blues) and hard-rocking blues.
Keyes adds social commentary with the title cut about two trains (i.e. opposite ideas) barreling toward each other on the same track. “What Just Happened” laments how unjust the world is.
This album, ten songs, 40 minutes, is a roller coaster of sad and happy observations. Keyes’ and his collaborators’ superb playing is paired with incisive and heartfelt lyrics. Of the many poignant verses, my favorite is “It’s not like riding a horse/When your heart gets tossed/Can’t just pick yourself up/And dust yourself off.” Ain’t that the truth?
– Dan D. Harrell