Live At the Ryman

Live At the Ryman is Robert Earl Keen’s fourth live album, and while it doesn’t have the roadhouse grit of his classic No. 2 Live Dinner, it offers the venerable Texas singer-songwriter in his most accessible form. Listening to these performances — recorded before a packed house at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium — it’s hard to believe that Keen has never been able to break through to a mainstream audience. The full-bodied versions of classic Keen songs like “Gringo Honeymoon” and “I’m Comin’ Home” are just as catchy and appealing as much of what passes through modern country radio — only these songs have more heart. At the very least, you’d think “What I Really Mean” and “Broken End of Love” would assure critical adoration equal to that of Lucinda Williams (whose voice and songwriting style are very close to Keen) yet Keen remains a well-kept secret among music fans. Perhaps that’s the way it should be. But if your friends insist they hate country try introducing them to Keen with these versions of “Amarillo Highway” and “Corpus Christi Bay,” which prove the songwriter’s ability to rock out when it counts.