[Adapted from a review originally published in On The Town Magazine 1/21/97]
It’s amazing to consider how often artists’ work today is described as “bluesy.” I’m as guilty as anyone of over-using this description, but it’s not a completely surprising phenomenon when you consider that most rock, pop & soul music is in some fashion descended from the early 20th century Mississippi Delta blues. The concept of song as an antidote to life’s troubles is in fact almost timeless.
Rare is the modern artist, however, who fully respects and embraces the simple power of the blues, and rarer still the one who also has the talent to make the blues come alive in the cynically pre-packaged and programmed modern music wasteland.
Keb’ Mo’ has got the goods—all of ’em.
Starting out with a strong, husky voice that sounds about a hundred very full years old, on Just Like You Keb’ Mo’ (a.k.a. Kevin Moore) builds a model for making the blues take wing for a new generation. Songs like “That’s Not Love” and the highly melodic “More Than One Way Home” wrap his wonderfully earthy instrument around intensely detailed slices of life offering characters and situations it’s almost impossible not to get caught up in.
These two upbeat R & B numbers are interspersed with more traditional acoustic and electric blues like the back-porch stompers “Perpetual Blues Machine,” “I’m On Your Side” and “Dangerous Mood.” While unafraid to tackle issues sociological (the title track and “Momma, Where’s My Daddy”) or psychological (“You Can Love Yourself”), Keb’ Mo’ handles these topics with such plain-spoken aplomb and strong melodic appeal that you’re hardly aware of the lessons being taught. His guitar-playing eschews complexity for straightforward emotion (as do his turns on harmonica), and the choice is just right for the music.
The blues tradition is spiritual, emotionally direct and ultimately uplifting, where far too much modern alt-rock strikes me as whiny, self-absorbed posing aimed at dragging the listener down. That alone is enough to get me moving toward the blues. The sublime pleasures of a top-notch contemporary blues artist like Keb’ Mo’ are a huge slab of icing on the cake.
