Keller’s a master craftsman, deftly reinforcing his elegantly constructed songs, fluent vocals and acoustic guitar with a subtle palette of additional instruments, vocals, and stylistic flourishes that unobtrusively make the album more than the sum of its parts.
-- John Conquest, Music City Texas, Austin
Here we have some great melodic songwriting reminiscent of the Eagles, Eric Anderson and Bruce Springsteen. Keller is accompanied by his regular band and back-up singers, who deliver a hot fold-rock sound liberally laced with bluegrass and country. Keller’s clear tenor reminds me of both Roger McGuinn and Eric Anderson. Outstanding cuts include “I Break the Law,” “Lefty and the Black Pontiac,” “Temptation,” (ala the Carter Family) and “More.” Recommended.
-- Betty Tartas, Victory Music Revue, Seattle
Pretty female harmonies, bluegrass influences and a careful attention to lyrics about love and war give Little Miracles an innate gentility that makes the disc a nice fit on KERA-FM, which has added the songs “Temptation” and “I Break the Law” to its playlist. But this release is rockier than Mr. Keller’s previous work, so he has expanded his band from three members to five and is scheduling dates not at coffeehouses but at nightspots such as Club Dada and Naomi’s. Distributed by Crystal Clear, Little Miracles is being sold at Borders and Blockbuster Music stores for $16.
-- Teresa Gubbins, The Dallas Morning News
As a singer, Tim Keller’s a fine storyteller with even a touch of the poet in him (even if “grindstones” and “rhinestones” force the issue, and they’re in the same sentence); he’s a bona fide product of Texas folkmanship – a little country, a little blues, harmonica and mandolin amid acoustic guitar and flag-waving-and-hand-holding songs. Exhibit No. 1: “If God was on our side/I swear there’d be no enemy.”
But as a storyteller, his voice is as flat and dry as blacktop in the summer – which means if he lived in Austin, he’d be a revered superstar with a deal on Dejadisc Records and a steady gig opening for Jerry Jeff or Joe Ely; but in Dallas, he’s just another upright singer-songwriter who keeps company with outlaws (Donny Ray Ford) and folkies (Ann Armstrong, Colin Boyd) and writes songs so detailed and wordy he makes Bruce Springsteen look like an illiterate mute. Exhibit No. 2: “Working on my tan ‘cause I am so white.”
-- Robert Wilonsky, The Dallas Observer
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Tim Keller is a genius. While there are obvious favorites (“Lefty and the Black Pontiac,” “Temptation”), this entire CD leads me to say that Keller is arguably the greatest singer-songwriter of our time.
-- Eric Celeste, The Met, Dallas
Last week, I visited the spacious offices of The Met, high atop a local restaurant. It’s been awhile. Eric, the guy who hired me a couple years ago, was packing his bags and moving on to greener pastures. So it’s time for me to do a little sucking up and try to keep my job.
Joe, I love what you’re doing with the place. These articles are going to start coming in before deadlines, and you’re a very bright guy. Anyway, while I was at the office, I picked up some CDs and headed back to the ranch.
One of the CDs was from a guy named Tim Keller. I saw him play a few weeks back, opening for Charlie Robison. He was playing hard for a pretty sparse crowd, and I thought he should be making albums and getting rich and fat like Garth Brooks. There aren’t too many reasons to get on Central Expressway, but this CD, Little Miracles, was worth the ride.
I’ve never been wrong about a human being before. I’d say Keller is a pretty smart and cultured guy. I know he’s at least been to Killeen or something, because he’s dedicated a song to Georgia O’Keeffe, whom I never would have heard of had it not been for a print in my doctor’s office. The last song on the CD, appropriately titled “Last Song”, is my favorite. I’m not going to list five or six others I really liked, because I know they will be cut when the editor’s pen hits this paper. So let me strongly encourage you to pick up this CD. And one last word to Joe, the new editor: You were always my favorite.
-- S.D. Henderson, The Met, Dallas
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