Dave Keyes – Two Trains
MoMojo Records
10 Tracks – 40 minutes
New York native Dave Keyes is a veteran keyboard player, vocalists and songwriter. Over the years, he has played with Popa Chubby, Ronnie Spector, Odetta, David Johansen, Bo Diddley and Sleepy La Beef among others. He also wrote hit songs for Loretta Lynn and Bettye Lavette. For six years he served as the musical conductor of the hit Broadway show, Smokey Joe’s Cafe. Dave won the International Blues Challenge in Memphis and has received three Blues Music Awards from the Blues Foundation. He has released seven albums prior to this one.
He says this album “is about coming home to my roots and paying tribute to all the styles that have influenced me since I was a kid.” His band for the album consists of drummers Bernie Purdy on four tracks and Frank Pagano on three, John Putnam on guitar and pedal steel, Jeff Anderson and Mike Merritt on bass, Rob Paparozzi on harmonica, Hasan Bakr on percussion, and Alexis P. Suter and Vicki Bell providing backing vocals. The album consists of nine original tracks written or co-written by Dave and one cover.
The album jumps out right from the start with Dave noting that the blues will find you, “you don’t have to worry, the “Blues Don’t Come Looking for You”. He gets his piano jumping with a boogie woogie run on “Boogie Till the Cows Come Home”. and “till Hell freezes over…till the horses fly and till the chickens have no bones”. In his liner notes, he cites that Pat Cannon, his wife of 37 years died in 2023. The title song references both the love and pain associated with life – “Two Trains” going to collide. Rob’s harmonica is a centerpiece to the song. Despite the background for the song, it is still an upbeat number perhaps punctuated by his liner notes further stating “Life goes on”.
Dave switches to the organ for a gospel styled song, “I’m Alright”. John’s pedal steel and Alexis P. Suter’s vocals give accent to his message “Life is full of joy but you got to bear some pain. Some things make sense; some you can’t explain.” but he exclaims that “I’m Alright”. Rob’s harp and Dave’s piano drive “Long Way from Right Right Now”, which is a counterpoint to the previous song. The song is a deeply emotional slow blues as he answers “How am I doing? What can I say? Not so good, but a little better every day.” “Time is a healer…that should be alright as I’ve got nothing but time.” “What Just Happened” delivers a social message about the world we are living in now. He cites “Hateful man took off the gloves, hate those kids for those they love.”
“Boogie for Patty” is Dave’s solo instrumental love song to his wife. Chris Bergson guests on slide guitar on “Trust in Love and Fate” as Dave sings that he hopes to “Ease my hurt, bring my best, so keep moving forward even when I’m down”. Big Bill Broonzy’s 1932 song “Worrying You Off My Mind” is the sole cover featuring Dave on piano and backing vocals supporting Woody Mann on guitar and vocals. “Rest in Peace” is the final track and a quiet heart driven elegy to his beloved.
The album clearly is written by a man still struggling with the passing of his companion and now seeking comfort and a direction forward. Despite the pain he reveals, you come away with the feelings of love that he expressed and his attempts to move forward in a positive manner. Dave at the time of the writing of this album is still caught between the “Two Trains”, but his music brings us to an understanding of what he is feeling and what joys remain for all of us who have faced or will face similar situations.
