Mike describes Wine And Pickles as "the album I didn't know I was making over the last ten years." Lovingly assembled from a wide array of archived sources, W&P serves as a surprisingly cohesive alternative history of Keneally music. Notable among the 21 gems are the legendary original version of "Backwards Deb;" "4S," a piece written for Holland's acclaimed Metropole Orchestra; "Inhale," a gorgeously melodic collaboration with Lyle Workman; and "The Endings Of Things," a stark, confessional performance from 2000's Dancing sessions. The CD contains an eight-page booklet with Mike's original artwork, pithy personal notes about each song, and lyrics.

JazzTimes' review of Wine And Pickles

Few artists can make a coherent CD with outtakes from a decade's worth of previous releases. But very few musicians are capable of the ambidexterity of Southern California multi-instrumentalist Mike Keneally, who refers to Wine and Pickles in its liner notes as "the album I didn't know I was making over the last 10 years."

A guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist in Frank Zappa's final touring band, Keneally blends his former employer's intricate compositional skills and cynical humor with the pop sensibilities and whimsy of Todd Rundgren. It's a mix that culminated on Keneally's fourth solo release, the 1997 opus Sluggo! The new CD's tracks are outtakes from four subsequent Keneally efforts, plus various oddities.

Roughly half the material comes from either Keneally's 2000 Dancing sessions (which used horns to flirt with big-band status) or 2003 castaways from his rocking Dog release, like the "Feelin' Strangely/"Li'l" medley. In the first half, Keneally moves from lyrical Armageddon to upbeat absurdity, singing, "I'm gonna kiss Boz Scaggs on the head tonight." The instrumental coda features his ace guitar interplay with Rick Musallam, but was probably too light for Dog. Ditto "Bubble Creek," a solo piano piece that shows Keneally's keyboard prowess.

Dancing was one of Keneally's most Zappa-esque releases (with instrumentation similar to the 1977 album Zappa In New York). Highlights include the anthemic "Backwards Deb," complex instrumental "Selfish Otter" and Jeff Buckley-ish "The Endings of Things." Random brilliance also appears in Keneally's orchestral demo "4S" and "Inhale," from Lyle Workman's 2000 Tabula Rasa sessions. Workman can also play all instruments, which he does here, while Keneally's voice soars to Radiohead-like heights. All of which makes Wine and Pickles not unlike the manically cohesive Sluggo! Perhaps that's why these pieces were discarded, but they combine to create Keneally's finest studio effort since.

--Bill Meredith, JazzTimes, November 2008

Mike Keneally was part of Zappa's final touring group in 1988, filling the then-established role as Zappa's "stunt guitarist." Since that time, Keneally has worked closely with Vai and released more than a dozen CDs as a leader. An unassuming guitar hero with comical, prog-rock tendencies and a solid singing voice, Keneally has compiled Wine And Pickles (Exowax 2409; 78:14) [Four Stars], a collection of unreleased studio recordings from the past decade.

Keneally's guitar work is of the highest order, and his shrewd production values hold true in the most informal settings. From structured rock tunes to solo piano improvisations and orchestral interludes, he consistently leads the way with studied and earnest musicianship. Keneally's standout guitar, vocal and production skills all come together on beautifully arranged tracks like "Feelin' Strangely." His postmodern approach allows for a bold assimilation of influences, as evidenced by the dynamic closing track, "The Endings Of Things." Keneally is sustaining the Zappa legacy as well as anyone in music today. Frank would be proud.

--Mitch Myers, Down Beat, October 2008