I don’t often seek out pop country up-and-comers these days, so when I’m asked to feature one the music really has to grab me. That was indeed the case with Keith Walker, who is gearing up to drop his ‘Chaser’ EP on August 28, a 5-track collection of the kind of mainstream country we enjoyed pre-bro-country and Sam Hunt. In other words, five well-crafted stories on love, heartbreak and country fun, catchy melodies, shimmering guitar-led production and an earnest delivery from someone with a good voice.
I was struck immediately by how easily listenable Keith’s songs were; although semi-title track and EP opener ‘The Chase’ begins with a deep bassy drum loop, it is soon overlaid with palatable acoustic guitar and smooth, rich country vocals with a charming, personable delivery. As it develops, this story about falling in love for the first time comes to life, the sonic texture thickening but never diverting from the base established at the beginning, female harmonies adding a sweetness over the gritty electric guitar riff. Such an approach becomes a trademark of Keith’s music; ‘High On You And I’ also incorporates a drum loop but balances it out with a ‘big’ guitar sound and a clear, enjoyable vocal performance, describing the feeling of being totally, incomprehensibly, in love.
Things are turned on their head narratively for ‘Me Too’. “I see your face in the strangest places,” he sings, lost in the midst of a heartbreak that still affects him despite not being fresh. There’s a nostalgia to the track that finds him musing on old memories and wondering if she’s also thinking about him. “I know memories seem to come and go but tonight they won’t leave me alone,” he sings.
Meanwhile, two of the songs on this record have a stronger focus on rhythm than their contemporaries. ‘Leave It At The Shoreline’ has a syncopated beat and dobro to give the song a laid-back, dust bowl feel, before encouraging a foot-tapping sing-a-long in the chorus. While lyrically it could easily be described as a party anthem, there’s a spirit and a twang to this that doesn’t feel as boring or moronic as its bro-country cousins, and the fewer clichés are also welcome too. ‘Honky-Tonk Shake’ is also a party anthem, but in more of a true country hoedown style. Still, it doesn’t try to hide the fact that it’s a silly song designed not to be taken too seriously, and it’s too difficult to refuse the catchiness of the hook on principle anyway.
Keith himself realized the power of country music as a teenager when he watched his older brother deal with his girlfriend going into a coma. His brother turned to Tim McGraw’s ‘Don’t Take The Girl’ for comfort and suddenly the sounds of Hank Williams, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton and Conway Twitty that echoed throughout the family home began to make sense to Keith. Born in Louisiana as what he calls a “military airforce brat”, and moving to Southern California as a kid, he grew up playing guitar and writing songs. However, despite his love of country, when he was awarded a scholarship to study Opera he didn’t turn it down, but his habit of playing country music in bars outside of college hours meant that his teacher’s gave him an ultimatum. After being involved in a car accident where only he and his guitar survived, Keith knew the choice had been made for him and he moved to Nashville.
From there he began paying his dues, playing live around town several nights a week and writing with some of the best writers ASCAP could provide, eventually getting into the studio to record and release his debut album ‘Miles From You’. It’s this prior musical and personal experience that has made Keith the artist he is, and that’s why his new EP ‘Chaser’ establishes such a connection with the listener. He’s worked hard, he’s honed his sound, and he know what he’s doing, and that’s all you can ask from an artist.
Originally posted here.
