Personnel: Keb' Mo' (vocals, guitar, harmonica, banjo); Tommy Eyre (keyboards); James "Hutch" Hutchinson (bass); Laval Belle, Quentin Dennard, (drums); Tony Draunagel (percussion).
Recorded at Red Zone Studios, Burbank, California and Devonshire Recording Studios, North Hollywood, California.
The first solo release by contemporary blues-based artist Keb Mo' mixes a reverence for traditional country blues with more streamlined elements of commercial pop. Despite a convincing "down-home" approach of gravel-textured vocals and superior slide work and finger-picking skills, Keb Mo' avoids the pose of a hard line revivalist. Instead, he chooses to employ his fluency in the Delta tradition as a palette on which to blend a connoisseur's sampling of various musical genres. Country, funk, swing, and late 20th-Century folk balladry (Traci Chapman, James Taylor and Bob Dylan) all manage to make their way into the mix for a seamless blend of roots and radio friendliness.
Keyboards, bass and drums (in addition to Keb Mo's contributions on guitar, harmonica and banjo) flesh out breezy soul-inflected pop such as "She Just Wants To Dance" and the island flavored "Tell Everybody I Know." Though gears continue to shift, from organ-drenched gospel to hillbilly lite, Keb Mo' brings things back to the source with inventive homages to the blues altar, such as in his re-casting of two Robert Johnson songs. Though blues purists may find Mo's genre blending somewhat disconcerting, others will find much to appreciate in this accessible, enjoyable, finely honed music.
- Format: Vinyl
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