John Paul Keith & the One, Four Fives – Spills and Thrills

If somehow you were to find John Paul Keith appearing, Zelig-like, lurking in the background of old photos of Sun Studio recording sessions; he would certainly fit right in seamlessly with Carl, Elvis, Johnny, Roy, and Jerry Lee. Looking like a cross between Buddy Holly and Robin Gibb, he plays simple but effective guitar (the best kind) and hollers with the nasal whine of a young teddy boy John Lennon (OK - perhaps with a bit of the quiver in the voice of Georgie Harrison from time to time if you want to split Beatles hairs). Notwithstanding everything that's happened since, if you still get a little tingle down the back of the neck whenever you hear the opening staccato yell of 'Rave On', then this is for you. John Paul Keith just missed out on success as a part of earlier combos a couple of times during his career, and was a member of one of Ryan Adams early backing bands too (he plays on Demolition), before practically giving up on music making after becoming frustrated with a mire of business-related shenanigans. But now he's back with a debut solo-ish album, based in Memphis, and plugging away at gigs across the central states.At least three tracks are pure rock'n'roll magic that really do compare with the very best of the original era ('Lookin' For A Thrill', 'Pure Cane Sugar', 'She'll Dance To Anything'). That is some feat. Until the Fab Four arrived, popular music was all about the single, with even the greats having quality stretched a little thin on album. The same might be thought to apply here, but only a couple of the dozen tracks dip to the routine. John Paul Keith carries the rest with enthusiasm and obvious love for the essence of old country, R&B, blues, and straight as a die rock’n’roll. This isn't pastiche; bar room gigging is still a way of life for those tuned into the mid west's musical heritage. With a whole fistful of standard covers he'd make for a great night out. There's the Bakersfield country sound of 'Smoke in a Bottle' and 'Otherwise', and freight train rockabilly of 'Let’s Get Gone' (think the Stone's 'Hip Shake'). Other variation comes with the organ led instrumental jam of 'Cookie Bones' and the Beatles inspired 'If I were You' - which could substitute for the titular song from the Tom Hanks film That Thing You Do, and is equally as catchy.The backing band (named after the classic chord progression) is right on the money, with some nice keyboard work especially, but you get the impression that they're solid journeymen and it's Keith who is doing all the sweating. Falling for the elemental charms of Spills and Thrills isn't going to get you any trendy brownie points - but this is infectious music straight from the heart. Lines like "Well I got a girl and there ain't no doubt / She got kisses so sweet to make my teeth fall out" are bawled out with a vibrancy that makes them sound fresh not clichéd - maybe the best of that ilk that's come my way since way back with Dave Edmunds and Rockpile. I'm lovin' it. 74%[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brboDCgny3M[/youtube]John Paul Keith on MySpace