Best (Robert Earl Keen album)

Reception

The AllMusic review by Mark Deming gave the album 3½ stars stating: "Robert Earl Keen is an archetypal Texas singer/songwriter, someone who can mine both laughter and tragedy from life along the dusty margins of life in the Lone Star State... a comprehensive and well-programmed compilation offering a fully rounded introduction to his music would be more than welcome. However, 2007's Best isn't quite that album... If you're looking for a concise, career-spanning overview of Robert Earl Keen's long career in music, Best isn't as much help as you might wish, but the consistent quality is a sure convincer."

Track listing

<small>All tracks by Robert Earl Keen except where noted</small>

1. "No Kinda Dancer" (from No Kinda Dancer) – 3:07
2. "Willie" (from No Kinda Dancer) – 2:36
3. "Armadillo Jackal" (from No Kinda Dancer) – 3:26
4. "Paint the Town Beige" (from A Bigger Piece Of Sky) – 4:34
5. "Whenever Kindness Fails" (from A Bigger Piece Of Sky) – 3:38
6. "Corpus Christi Bay" (from A Bigger Piece Of Sky) – 3:59
7. "Merry Christmas from the Family" (from No. 2 Live Dinner) – 3:54
8. "The Road Intro" (from No. 2 Live Dinner) – 5:08
9. "The Road Goes on Forever" (from No. 2 Live Dinner) – 7:45
10. "Furnace Fan" (from Farm Fresh Onions) – 3:58
11. "All I Have Is Today" (from Farm Fresh Onions) – 3:28
12. "Let the Music Play" (Keen, Bill Whitbeck) (from Farm Fresh Onions) – 5:36
13. "For Love" (from What I Really Mean) – 4:24
14. "Mr. Wolf and Mama Bear" (from What I Really Mean) – 3:46
15. "Ride" (from What I Really Mean) – 3:45
16. "Feeling Good Again" (from Live At The Ryman) – 3:15
17. "Gringo Honeymoon" (from Live At The Ryman) – 4:53
18. "I'm Comin' Home" (from Live At The Ryman) – 4:17

Personnel

• Robert Pool – Fender Bass
• Dan Augustine – horn arrangements, trombone, tuba
• Danny Barnes – banjo
• Rich Brotherton – audio production, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, rhythm guitar, producer, vocal harmony
• Nick Connolly – organ
• Bryan Duckworth – fiddle
• Dave Durocher – drums, vocal harmony, backing vocals
• Joe Ely – pedal steel
• Denice Franke – vocal harmony, vocals, backing vocals
• Nanci Griffith – vocal harmony, backing vocals
• Fred Gumaer – drums
• John Hagen – cello
• Melissa Story Haycraft – executive producer
• Dan Huckabee – dobro
• Robert Earl Keen Jr. – audio production, acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar, producer, vocals
• Mike Landschoot – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Randy LeRoy – mastering
• Lyle Lovett – vocal harmony, backing vocals
• Lloyd Maines – audio production, pedal steel, producer
• George Marinelli – electric guitar, vocal harmony, backing vocals
• Ian McLagan – organ
• Eamon McLoughlin – fiddle, viola
• Marty Muse – pedal steel
• Riley Osborne – piano
• Chuck Rhodes – production coordination
• Phil Richey – trumpet
• Elliott Rogers – backing vocals
• Bill Schas – trombone
• Michael Snow – bodhran, tenor banjo
• Jay Spell – accordion
• Tommy Spurlock – acoustic guitar, gut string guitar, lap steel guitar, pedal steel
• Marty Stuart – mandolin
• Paul Sweeney – mandolin
• Garry Tallent – electric bass, upright bass
• Tom Van Schaik – drums, percussion
• Garry Velletri – audio production, producer
• Bill Whitbeck – bass, electric bass
• Elizabeth Yoon – art direction, design
• Jonathan Yudkin – violin

References