String Cheese Incident / Keller Williams Breathe CD

Keller Williams employed the help of the String Cheese Incident on his eclectic and enchanting Breathe album. Recorded in just ten days, it's swollen with impeccable musical talent and artistry. Williams manages to traverse various styles within a single track, while maintaining the same smooth Zen-like vibe regardless of the featured genre. Songs like the Phish-esque "Stupid Questions" and "Best Feeling" personify his ability to incorporate jazz, folk, reggae, and bluegrass with a Latin jam-band tinge. On "Blatant Ripoff" he uses a mouth fluegel to mimic the sound of a trumpet, which drives the song and replaces any necessity for lyrics. The fluegel makes a return on the reggae-based closer, "Callalloo and Red Snapper." Staying true to his solo roots, Williams' masterful picking of his ten-string guitar takes center stage on "Brunette" and "Roshambo." Modifying a 12-string guitar down to ten strings allows him to play fierce basslines while strumming stylistic groovy melodies. On "Not of This Earth" he pays homage to one of his greatest influences, Michael Hedges. While adroitly incorporating Hedges album titles into the lyrics, Williams also displays an adeptness on the guitar that is worthy of comparison to his predecessor. While some may prefer his solo work, the accompaniment of the String Cheese Incident provides a wondrous canvas that elevates the richness of his guitar work and frees him from the confines of looping. ~ Erik Crawford

/String Cheese Incident.

Michael Travis (drums, percussion).

Personnel includes: Keller Williams (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, piano, acoustic & electric basses); Michael Kang (vocals, electric mandolin, violin); Bill Nershi (acoustic guitar); Kyle Hollingsworth (electric piano, organ, keyboards, synthesizer); Keith Moseley (acoustic & electric basses);

Personnel: Keller Williams (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 10-string guitar, flugelhorn, piano, grand piano, acoustic bass, electric bass); Michael Kang (vocals, mandolin, electric mandolin, violin, electric violin); E. Dub, E-Dub (vocals); Bill Nershi (acoustic guitar); Jamie Janover (hammer dulcimer); Mike Luba (trumpet); Kyle Hollingsworth (piano, electric piano, organ, keyboards, synthesizer); Keith Moseley (acoustic bass, electric bass); Michael Travis (drums, percussion); Ty Burhoe (tabla, turntables).

Recording information: Colorado Sound (05/17/1999-05/30/1999).

Photographers: Jeremy Stein; Todd Radunsky.

Arranger: Keller Williams.Dirty Linen (4-5/00, p.40) - "...Williams' articulate writing and singing, and dextrous playing, make BREATHE a delight, and the considerable contributions of the String Cheesers are icing on the cake on this great disc."