The Center for Texas Music History at Texas State University assembled more than two dozen Texas-based acts to pay tribute to one of its own leading songwriters, Robert Earl Keen, during 2008's annual Musicfest in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. With Keen finishing out the night with a concise five song set, including a new cut, "Goodbye Cleveland," and his best-known track, the stirring "Road Goes On Forever," the tribute comes full circle. However, the lead-up makes a strong case for Keen's universal songwriting appeal and spotlights impressive Texas talent, as Austin's Reckless Kelly easily float through "Think It Over One Time" and the ominous romantic hangover of "Lynville Train." Roger Creager confidently delivers the amenable "I Would Change My Life." Max Stalling finds the small-town joy at the heart of "No Kinda Dancer." Doug Moreland does the same for "Daddy Had a Buick." The effect is two-fold. These mostly bare-bones acoustic interpretations should pique your curiosity to hear Keen's own versions and to hear more of the visiting artists' own work.