I so loved, Mr. Keene's album "Casual Heroes" that I couldn't wait to get another album's fix.  His second album, "BestThat Money Can Buy" begins with an alarm clock ringing.  Who is to wake up, the artist or the listener?  Maybe both.  The artist's trademark excellent writing is still apparent.  If "Casual Heroes" is a buck naked baby posing on an accoustically bare rug, "The Best Money Can Buy" is a teenager - strong, complicated, and testing out the whole world.  Artists are like babies.  When nurtuted, they grow into bigger and more complicated beings.  You might occasionally long for their innocent days, but to deny them their growth would be criminal.  This album reflects growth with a bigger selection of musicians and the consequent more complex arrangements.  It also boasts frequent use of ambient sounds.  Still, with no offense to any of the performers, the quality of the songwriting jumps out.  Mr. Keene features no true rap, such as Pig Meat Rap on his first album, but he uses a talk-sing approach to several of his songs.  Perhaps he recognizes that the rhythm and beauty of the words can make their own music.  Perhaps no one told him that suburban, country hip hop doesn't exist yet.  Whatever.  The range and poignancy of the lyrics is truly amazing.  Whether he is the lover or the lost; the miner, the biker, or the cowboy; each song is convincing.  While the music is more complicated than on the first album, it is never artificial or in the way.  The album ends with "Bourgeois Town" and is directed at Washington, D.C., my stomping grounds.  Oh, Mr. Keene, our nation's capital is much more than that.  But it is that, and your song is funny with enough blunt truth to it that I regretted my chuckles.  Maybe that wake-up alarm at the beginning of the album was for the bourgeoisee, because not withstanding the artist's great lyrics and appropriate music, this album shows he is a man of vision and conscience.  "Best That Money Can Buy" is a best buy.  Buy it now, so you can boast you knew Harvey Keene before his writing made him famous.
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