Jim Keller - By No Means (2021)

Soulful Roots Rocker Jim Keller Reveals The Magic Of Simplicity On His Fourth Solo Album, By No Means Keller s unique collaboration with acclaimed producer Mitchell Froom features Los Lobos guitarist David Hidalgo, renowned bassist Bob Glaub, and ace drummer Michael Urbano as his backing band. By No Means is the result of the special musical alchemy that can arise between a performer and producer. The catalyst for this collaboration occurred when singer/songwriter Jim Keller sent producer Mitchell Froom a batch of 25-30 new songs to listen to. I thought he would be polite but not really dig into it, Keller admits. Not only did Froom dig into these recordings he was particularly drawn to the raw demos that Keller recorded on his iPhone. These demos greatly intrigued Froom, who found them more compelling, maybe more him deeper and more unusual than most of the recordings he had done. In making the new album, the NYC-based Keller and the L.A.-based Froom started by sending tracks back and forth and discussing extensively what type of sonic world they would create for this record. Keller s well-received prior solo albums (Heaven Can Wait, Soul Candy, and Sunshine In My Pocket) very much boasted a full band sound, but Keller and Froom concluded this outing required going in a new direction to match its musical core: Keller s lo-fi recordings. The album s unadorned arrangements were also influenced by Keller s rough-hewn, worldly-wise vocals. Keller s seemingly simple but ultimately sophisticated song structure (Froom describes them as being haiku-like) led the two to build a spare sound based around Keller and his acoustic guitar that would suggest a retro feel but without sounding old. Froom compares their approach to the Muscle Shoals attitude of we re just gonna play less. By No Means stands as a new, richly rewarding milestone in his career. Froom might have summarized it best when he says that the album feels almost like a greatest hits record because all of the songs are so simple and catchy.