Sean Keefer

Over the course of five singles loosely collected as a demo, Sean Keefer establishes a country-adjacent sound that meets all expectations. Traditionally country music is as much about the story as how it’s being told, and while Keefer’s lyrics are more narrative than imagistic, they’re mostly inward-focused tales of lost love and broken hearts. What sets this music apart from traditional country fare, however, is the vocal delivery. Rather than succumbing to the aw shucks drawl that truly distinguishes corporate country from the rest, Sean Keefer unveils a forceful emotive register more influenced by Axl Rose and Bret Michaels than Brooks & Dunn. 

 

The music itself stays in its lane – you’ll hear standard acoustic guitars, a sturdy rhythm section, and tasteful embellishments from fiddle and organ. An occasional electric guitar solo is about as dynamic as the instruments get. Keefer’s voice is the primary motor for this music. The unique delivery brings to mind other iconically singular singers like Colin Meloy and Dave Matthews, not so much in similarity but in how similarly unique they are. Like those, Keefer’s voice will impress some and turn others away. But no one will deny the skill and talent behind that singular voice, which, once a listener grows accustomed to it, shows an impressive flexibility and vulnerability.

 

Most of these tracks are ballads, playing relatively standard progressions. “Just Can’t Stop this Goodbye” and “Better Angel” move ably, if predictably, through a nicely balanced mix of traditional instruments in a traditional structure. “Mistaken” ups the tempo and intricacy of the playing. The mix is well balanced as well, but you can tell this one rips live and the energy on the recording suppresses that exuberance a bit. Better results show up on “Common Ground,” the most pop-structured song on the list. Here, all the instruments are freer to explore and flourish, and the result is less one of the instruments building a foundation for the vocals and more that the instruments are able to play organically off one another. Here, the band seems to come alive, and the sum of the parts is surpassed. 

 

Expert musicianship is on display throughout each of these tracks, and Sean Keefer has an ear for melody and resolution. While the vocals might give traditionalists pause, they’ll also find a lot to appreciate about these finely built songs. Listeners who appreciate more alt in their country will likewise hear flashes of something deeper and unique in what presents as traditional Americana.