Let It Roll

Although he had been making records for 37 years as of 2006, managing to issue ten albums in that period, Keith Sykes remained best known as a country songwriter, primarily in association with better known names like Jimmy Buffett and John Prine. Discussions of Sykes invariably evoke those names and several others -- Jerry Jeff Walker, Guy Clark, Rodney Crowell -- placing him within a revered songwriting tradition with Southern roots but a degree of independence from the Nashville machine. As a recording artist, he became slightly more prolific in the '90s and 2000s, and Let It Roll is a good illustration of both why he is mentioned in the company of such illustrious peers, and why he remains a junior partner among them. Co-writing ten of the 12 songs ("Pictures" is a sole composition and "Peggy Sue" is a cover of the Buddy Holly song), Sykes demonstrates his craftsmanlike approach to songwriting. The tunes are in familiar styles of roots rock and country with a touch of Tex-Mex ("You Better Be Ready to Dance"), and lyrically they touch on romance and aging, occasionally with wry wit, but most often with disarming honesty. Sykes is never afraid to use a cliche, but he is just as likely to twist it slightly. As a vocalist, he has a sturdy, slightly grainy tenor that often sounds exactly like Crowell's. The result is an agreeable album in an established style that will please fans of any of the names mentioned above without overwhelming them. Sykes tends to be either overlooked or over-praised; the truth is that he does what he does well, but his drinking buddies do it better. ~ William Ruhlmann