Believe it or not, multi-instrumentalist Keller Williams is set to release his twelfth album to date. Most marquee artists who have had longer careers have not released that many albums. It goes to show that Keller is constantly creating and eager to share his art with the willing masses.
Aptly titled 12, the disc is actually a collection of "hitless greatest hits" according to Williams. These twelve songs span his twelve plus years of recording, giving the listener one suitable song from each of his previous eleven releases while adding one new track to the mix. It officially hits shelves just before Christmas on December 18th (too bad the 12th doesn't fall on a Tuesday).
Keller stays true to naming his albums with only one-word titles, albeit this one a number. The cover artwork is also interesting and humorous, where a scrawny (but ripped) characture of Williams stands in the corner of a boxing ring donning athletic shorts and boxing gloves. A bikini-clad beauty is also shown holding up the "roundcard" with the number 12 and his name on it.
Some fans may not completely agree as to his choice of songs compiled here, but the majority of his popular tunes are included such as "Breathe" (recorded with friends The String Cheese Incident), "People Watchin" (from his latest release Dream ), and his signature number "Freeker by the Speaker".
The new track added here is called "Freshies", a song that is pretty much about getting high and snowboarding. This song has been in his concert rotation over the last year and will thus be familiar to some listeners. However, this version is much different in that it contains a reggae flavor versus the well-known funky, hip-hop style.
This is a marvelous album for anyone who is just getting into or is looking to explore the musical oddity of this one-man-band. His breezy voice and the tickle of his exceptional instrumental looping work all shine pretty well in these offerings. It is a great platform from which to dive into his prolific work, and is a decent compilation for any hard-core fans to own.
Though the 12th round in boxing is usually the last, this is really only the middle round for Keller Williams. He is at the pinnacle of his career and shows no signs of fatigue. My guess is that we will see another twelve or so releases before the gloves come off for good.
Track listing:
1) Turn In Difference
2) Anyhow Anyway
3) Tribe
4) Breathe
5) More Than a Little
6) Freeker By The Speaker
7) Butt Sweat
8) Apparition
9) Keep It Simple
10) Local
11) People Watchin'
12) Freshies
