Keeper
John Doe has mastered the much-overlooked art of writing and performing songs that celebrate life’s sweetness without lapsing into greeting-card sentiment. From the opening surge of “Don’t Forget How Much I Love You,” Doe proves an artist doesn’t have to be in pain to deliver the goods. His backing group features Smokey Hormel, Don Was and Giant Sand’s Howe Gelb among the all-star cast, while guests — Patty Griffin, Jill Sobule, Cindy Wasserman — spice up a few tracks. Doe has always loved classic rock ‘n’ roll. His band X paid tribute to rock’s origins and tracks here like “Never Enough,” “Jump Into My Arms” and “Handsome Devil” intuitively observe rock ‘n’ roll history while still putting Doe’s unmistakable mark on everything he sings. He’s no slouch on ballads either. “Little Tiger” and “Sweetheart” are stripped-down songs that make for bedside lullabies. *Keeper* is a great, unforced collection of tunes that are as timeless as they are current.
John Doe's punk days might be long behind him, but there's only so much mellowing out that he's capable of. He might not be mired in drugs and desperation like he was when he sang for L.A. punks X, but he makes adult life and grown-up relations sound like worthy struggles on Keeper . Even when he's embracing open-chord strumming, sighing steel guitar and pledges of dedication that bring to mind Jackson Browne on opener "Don't Forget How Much I Love You," he still sings it with the gusto he once used to sneer at LA scenesters. Doe has always had a bit of a Hank Williams air around him, and he
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