"Soul Candy" is packed with steadfast energy, [...] vibrant harmonies and infectious optimism."

If you can read Dutch, head over to rootstime.be. If not, here is a translation of the review.

"After being away from writing and performing music for a number of years (he was in Tommy Tutone and co-wrote "867-5309/Jenny"), Jim Keller has collected a band full of top notch musicians and been performing in small local venues and recording. Soul Candy is Jim's second album in as many years. You'll find 10 soul tinged songs on the record ranging from rockers like "Meltdown" and "Giving It Up To Love" to ballads like "Julianne" and "Modern Girl". And of course Jim makes skillful use of a horn section."

See the "Best albums of 2011" list at nowiveheardeverything.com.

Jerry Shriver of USA TODAY selects Jim's "Julianne" for this week's playlist: "Echoes of Southside Johnny waft from this rich and sweet original track from the new Soul Candy."

"He got it! Jim Keller, co-writer of the 80s' Tommy Tutone smash, now calls Phillip Glass 'The Boss.'"

Read the article at The Modern or download the PDF.

Tommy Tutone alumnus serves up ready-made meat-and-taters rock.

"A stylistic chameleon working within clearly defined parameters, the veteran Jim Keller is equally at home with every iteration of mid- to late-'70s guitar rock. On his second solo album in as many years, Keller hews close to his origins as the guitarist in the Springsteen-influenced Tommy Tutone and co-writer of the iconic 1082 hit "867-5309/Jenny". Working primarily with ready-made elements, the veteran applies his rugged, lived-in baritone to material that vividly evokes Graham Parker & The Rumour (whose drummer, Steve Goulding, is on the record) on "White Gloves And Pearls", Mink DeVille on "Julianne" and Moon Martin on the title track." - Bud Scoppa

PopMatters' Zachary Houle gives Soul Candy a 7/10.

"Keller puts the heart in heartland rock with Soul Candy, eschewing the silliness of years gone by with a profound sense of maturity. His sound might be a little tired and well-worn, coming so far after the better-known progenitors of this style of music, but if you like Americana, Soul Candy is a sweet and agreeable slice of sugar-coated confectionary that won?t make your teeth ache."

Read the complete review at PopMatters.

(story by The Takeaway)

It's been almost 30 years since Jim Keller released the now-famous "867-5309/Jenny" song that became a Billboard smash hit.

And now, Keller is back trying to write new songs that capture that same magic he found back in 1982. He released a new album today, Soul Candy, his second in recent years. Keller said the system is setup for you to write the next hit after the first one. But it didn't turn out that way for him.

"I dropped playing, that was almost 10 years where I didn't play at all," Keller said. "The entire cycle happened. The rise and the fall. And then there was a period after that where I couldn't make a living so I had to do something else."

And it was a long road to get back.

"You can't rival that because part of it was I was 25, 26 when I was doing that," Keller said. "I can't rival that."

But his latest works have found a home in the area between pop and classic rock. Keller says those are the ares where he's most comfortable performing.

"When I sing, where I go and what melodies I gravitate toward is where I'm comfortable and that's where I express myself," Keller said. "I'm stuck with who I am and that's where I gravitate toward."


Head over to The Takeaway to listen to the full program or to download an mp3!

Jim will be playing a show at Highline Ballroom (431 W 16th St, New York, NY 10011) on Friday, Nov. 4th. Head on over to Facebook event page page for more info (and like Jim Keller Band to receive updates!).

Guitarist/singer-songwriter Jim Keller, co-founder of rock band Tommy Tutone and co-writer of "867-5309/Jenny" - one of the most enduring anthems of the '80s - releases Soul Candy on October 11. Recorded with members of his current live band and assorted friends, the album is the product of a year's worth of writing and playing together in support of Keller's 2010 LP, Sunshine In My Pocket, his solo debut. In describing the process, Keller says, "The best songs happen from that first blast of inspiration. Basically nothing is cooler to me than a great three-minute pop song. It's like a little bit of soul candy."

Responding to the success of Sunshine In My Pocket, which was hailed by NPR/WXPN's "World Café" as "upbeat, rootsy folk that shimmers with optimism," Keller and friends returned to the studio with producer Hector Castillo (Brazilian Girls, Roger Waters) and recorded an album that further broadens the scope of Keller's soulful repertoire as a solo artist. The band includes Byron Isaacs (Levon Helm), Glenn Patscha (Sheryl Crow) and Chris Masterson (Steve Earle) with help from Steve Berlin (Los Lobos), Falcon Valdez, Steve Goulding (The Rumour), Shawn Pelton and background vocals by The Holmes Brothers. Mixed by Tchad Blake (Los Lobos, Crowded House, Tom Waits) and mastered by longtime friend Dave McNair (Los Lobos, Alejandro Escovedo), Soul Candy features Keller on lead vocals and electric and acoustic guitars.

From beginning to end, Soul Candy is packed with the immutable energy that has come to define Keller's live shows. Crowd favorite "Giving it Up to Love," with its driving guitars and Hammond organ, features hummable harmonies and an infectious optimism; the bluesy "Julianne" conjures a longtime love with its gospel-tinged backing vocals by The Holmes Brothers and pedal steel by Jon Graboff; and "Modern Girl" is a lushly produced layered pop song that demonstrates Keller's affinity for producing soul candy of his own.

Keller's passion for the songwriting craft and his roots in the pub rock tradition are evident in his humble beginnings: the bars, grange halls and road houses of Northern California, where he played to "hippies, red necks and cowboys." Last year marked Keller's return to performing and recording after a ten-year hiatus, and with Soul Candy?his second album in as many years - he proves he has no intention of slowing down any time soon.