I'm from that grungy corner of Generation X where most of the music is about drugs, guns or suicide, or doing drugs while committing suicide with guns. OK, so we talked through our angst and now we're, like, investment bankers or whatever.

Thank god, and now we have Keller Williams, a singer-songwriter and guitarist who trades angst for happy. Joy! No, really, he's filled with joy. Even the title of the album is Laugh.

This is a man who must have listened to a lot of Grateful Dead in his life. No, wait, come back! Damn, we just lost a couple of embarrassed ex-hippies. Oh well, I meant it as a good thing. The music has a mellow groove, but it's got a good beat and you can dance to it. It's fun!

Keller has no qualms about being silly -- just look at "Bob Rules," a Price Is Right fantasy. But that's not to say there's no intellectual content. Keller's no dummy. I love the pop-music dis of "One Hit Wonder," all the while admitting his desire to be accepted in the mainstream. Unfortunately, that's where the money is, but most of the best music is underground.

And check the alliteration, A through G, on "Gallivanting." "Big bad beautiful blue/bubbler blowing breath of bliss." Alliteration's cool.

Usually, Keller plays alone with his "loop feed," so that it creates a sound like several instruments playing at once. On this album, though, he included musicians on bass, drums, trombone and flute, among others. The result is rambling, yet focused, playful and introspective.

My mom is going to love this. So will my 24-year-old brother. I think Grandma won't, but otherwise, the appeal is pretty broad.

And I got to meet him. Nah Nah! He's very mellow and funny, just what you'd expect.

There are two cover songs on the album, "Spring Buds" by Michael Hedges and "Freakshow" by Ani DiFranco. Rather than providing the words for these songs, as he does for his own, Keller names the albums on which they originally appeared and provides the artists' websites. I thought that was a cool way to give credit and say thanks for the loan. Though I've never heard the originals, he does a good job on them, in my opinion.

This CD rocks. Listened to as a whole, it creates a cheerful, thoughtful mood. Or for a quick pick-up, just select any track, and smile.

- Rambles
written by Katie Knapp
published 25 January 2003

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