It seems that no album by a Texas songwriter would be complete without a tip of the hat to the late master Townes Van Zandt. Guy Clark covered “If I Needed You” on his new album. Steve Earle did a whole album of Townes songs recently. Lyle Lovett has a new album coming out. Sure enough, there’s a cover of “Loretta” on it. Maybe some astute record company should gather some of these covers together for a tribute album.

Robert Earl Keen enlists in the Townes Van Zandt admiration society on his new album, The Rose Hotel (Lost Highway Records). He turns in a chunky, driving re-imagining of the mournful Townes ballad “Flying Shoes.” Another thing that Keen shares with his Texan contemporaries is a wicked sense of humor, and it’s on display on the uproarious “10,000 Chinese Walk Into A Bar,” which features vocals from none other than Billy Bob Thornton.

In addition to the love for Townes Van Zandt, and the ironic sense of humor, the Texans are adept at storytelling, and Keen may be the king of that particular skill among his peers. Sometimes the tales are of the tall variety, but “The Man Behind the Drums” is the true-to-life story of Levon Helm, inspired by a visit to one of Levon’s Midnight Rambles. (more…)