Issue date: 2/13/03 Section: The Verge

If you are Keller Williams fan, chances are you've been fortunate enough to see one of his live shows. And, chances are, after that show, you asked yourself what can he possibly do next? The answer comes in the form of "Dance," released on SCI Fidelity Records.

Williams has been at it since 1994, when the release of "Freek" put him on the proverbial map. In the years following, he has found himself in the studio, whether intimately acoustic (1998's "Spun") or as a superb frontman (see 1999's brilliant collaboration with the String Cheese Incident, "Breathe"). The saga continues as Keller is reincarnated as a pseudo-house DJ.  

"Dance" touts itself as The Official Laugh Remix, in reference to Keller's runaway 2002 hit record, "Laugh." All of the tracks on "Dance" lived previous lives of clean and entertaining ditties. Enter the raw talent of K-Dub, where each song, through the use of state-of-the-art computer technology, takes on not just a new life, but a new existence.

Some of the remixes are barely recognizable, while others maintain the beats that made the songs great in the first place. "Tweeker," for instance, combines the recognizable backbeats of  "Freeker by the Speaker," overlapped with a few synthesized lyrics.

"Mental Floss" is a perfect example of the fusion of styles that demonstrate Williams' talent on the guitar as well as techie-DJ. The song begins as a guitar-laden, foot-stomping groove that suddenly stops and slides into a digital realm of flutes, bongos and synthesized fun.

"Dance" is not just about techno beats layed under Keller's music; in fact, it's far from that. The computer generation of the music provides a reasonable excuse to move from Caribbean to jazzy ("Flabbergasting") and tribal beats to violins ("Barker") in under 30 seconds, which captures the spirit of the whole album.

It's hard to find any complaints about this record, but if I can be picky, it needs more of Williams' often underrated voice.  Most of the sparse words on "Dance" are generated through a computer, which is a shame because tracks like "Bazooka Speaker Funk,"  where the mesh of his voice and the technical wizardry shine, are exchanged for more flighty travels into digital music.

Keller Williams is undoubtedly enjoying his success, and his Midas-like ability to turn everything he touches into proverbial gold continues on "Dance."

Catch Keller Williams live in St. Louis at The Pageant April 4.

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