Thief

iTunes Review

Many musicians have side projects to keep them amused and Keller Williams is no exception. With buddies Larry and Jenny Keel, Williams turns up bluegrass-inspired arrangements of songs that don’t exactly make you think “bluegrass.” Sure, Drive-By Trucker Patterson Hood’s “Uncle Disney” isn’t too much of a stretch and the Grateful Dead’s “Mountains of the Moon” makes perfect sense, but Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab”? Cracker’s “Teen Angst”? The Butthole Surfer’s “Pepper”? It’s great fun, actually. The playing is first-rate. The harmonies are as serious and sincere as any old tune from Appalachia, and who’s to say that this won’t lead to fans of alternative or pop music discovering the charms of traditional music or vice versa. If anything this playful trio have started a conversation where one rarely exists. Nothing is played for cheap laughs and that makes all the difference. If this excites you, be sure to check out their other release, Grass, where they take on Pink Floyd, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Beck.