With a gorgeously reflective sentiment running through the lyrics, matched only by the deft and delicate way the song gently evolves throughout its four-minute run, “Keep You” is a stunning sonic slice. The idea that the memory of time shared with someone special could be enough to sustain you, perhaps for the rest of your life, is one of the most truly beautiful of ideas. Dean Harlem wanders through such thoughts and memories, taking the idea of ships passing at night or the holiday romance to new and exquisite heights.
Such a lovely idea deserves music to match. To do those musings and memories justice, he builds a country-folk platform for the words to dance over. But the way that the song evolves, the way that he subtly builds, adding new tones and additional textures as the song progresses, is the real charm.
From simple, finger-picked guitars, understated beats and the chime of the piano keys, he takes the song from such lovely, lulling lowlands to musical peaks ebbing and flowing between the two sonic states to create a great dynamic but always on the ascent. Finally, we arrive at a place where horns and beats announce our arrival at the song’s final destination, and the whole experience, from start to finish, has been lyrically touching and musically memorable.
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