Though Tyler Keith is based in Oxford, Mississippi, he’s a well known voice among Memphians. That’s as a rock and roll singer, of course, though Keith has also cultivated an authorial voice with a noir novel, The Mark of Cain. But don’t expect any of the usual trappings of the author-turned-songsmith in Keith’s rock and roll records. They are not filled with intricate word plays or flights of verbal finesse. But he does have a way with a phrase.
Take the catchphrase of his new album, Hell to Pay (Black & Wyatt). It rolls off the tongue in the title song as naturally as fallen fruit. And that’s what a big, pile-driving rock song needs. Right after that comes one of the album’s best, “Ghost Writer,” which steers clear of literary tropes even as he sings about writing.
“I tried to write my book/All by myself/I couldn’t find my hook/I needed somebody’s help/I need a Ghost Writer/I need you!” he sings with the perfect primitivism of the Ramones, and the simplicity of it allows the words’ meanings to breathe. Most importantly, it provides a chant-worthy chorus over an ace guitar riff.
Keith has been known to rock Memphis clubs for over 20 years now, and The Last Drag, his previous album, also reveled in guitar crunch. Yet this time around, the riffs are a little grittier, and one might say a bit more “seventies.” As opposed to the neo-60s rock of the last outing, this is neo-70s rock that borders, at times, on Stooges territory. Yet unlike that seminal group, it’s not drenched in guitar solos. It’s all about the riff.
Most of the album leans to the more thundering side of the guitar, sometimes complemented with ragged-but-right harmonies and swooping falsetto “oooohs.” The Apostles — Max Hipp (guitar, vocals), Van Thompson (bass, vocals), and Beau Bourgeois (drums, vocals) — can all carry a tune, and do so with gusto. Their playing is a perfect match for Keith’s songwriting, loose but on point.
One outlier is “Nothing Left,” which evokes the stomp of Neil Young and Crazy Horse. And like the best Young, Keith can philosophize regret and faith with a deft touch. “All I had were some words that washed away/Nothing left for me to do but pray.” Even then, the narrator isn’t sure what he’s praying to. “I don’t know if I believe in anything that I can’t see/For these times today have brought me to my knees/I’m asking someone to help me please.”
Tyler Keith and the Apostles celebrate the release of Hell to Pay at Bar DKDC, Saturday, May 6th, in an incredible lineup also featuring Jack Oblivian & the Sheiks and power pop adventurers Silver Synthetic.
