Oh, he's just an Okie from...New Mexico? Merle Haggard might quibble, but we say Key's boxcar-style state hopping just makes him a good American. At any rate, his music arrives like a proper Southwestern brushfire, with gruff snares, bedroll guitars, and dog-tired vocals making fine kindling.
A New Mexico native, Kris Hollis Key settled in Oklahoma in the late 70's, after spending most of his young adult life touring in bands in the south and southwest. Engineering and producing from Sunset West Studios in Tulsa, his first release since leaving Oklahoma, (Return of Boy Howdy) was a mix of strong rockabilly blues and classic Tulsa sound. His new release (West of Texas) is a haunting and lonely pure rocking country with emphisis on life in a small western town, pure prarie blues and stylistic songwriting without any of the typical Nashville influnce that is so prevelent today.Honest and powerful in its simplicity,this album delivers a wide mix, from the reggie bass within a country beat as in ALL TORE DOWN to the island hopping vacation song,INTO THE BIG FIRE to the New Orleans dirge beat of THE MESSENGER. From the opening blast of the first cut LONG DESERT HIGHWAY to the last soul searching track, WAITING TO FLY, an album of serious songs and inspiration that spells what next for this artist?