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Better Man. Keb'
Mo' lives the blues and loves himself.
By Hal Horowitz
Even hard-core Delta purists who consider Keb' Mo's smooth, calm and
unruffled approach to the blues, a genre whose icons were anything but easy
listening, tip their caps in his direction. In a musical form that prides
itself on authenticity, any tinkering with the established guidelines is
frowned upon by diehard fans afraid that dusting off the gritty dirt from
Robert Johnson's hellhound blues also dilutes the inherently intense
emotional attack which drives the spirit of the music.
Since his debut as a bluesman in 1994, California born Keb' Mo's (born
Kevin Moore) silky smooth, with a hint of hot sauce vocals, and increasingly
commercial releases have netted the singer/songwriter/guitarist a Grammy win
and legions of fans whose only previous brush with the blues was probably
through Eric Clapton's Unplugged album. His newest disc, 1998's fluid Slow
Down won't win him any accolades from Delta blues lovers, even if it does
feature a nakedly acoustic version of Johnson's "Love In Vain". But Mo's
twelve original songs have their roots planted firmly in the Mississippi
soil, yet their slick vibe is redolent of sunny California. The grouchiest
blues snob can't ignore the positive, upbeat and even spiritual lyrics of "A
Better Man," "Everything I Need," and "I Love Muddy Water". The song's snappy
melodies sound immediately familiar, their crafty pop hooks subtly surge, and
Mo's enticing voice calls you back for mo'.
Keb' keeps the true blues blood flowing in his veins by alternating his
live show between full band, and solo performances. On his upcoming tour
opening for Lyle Lovett, Mo' gets back to his Delta soul by stripping down
his own tunes, and wrapping those enticing vocal cords around choice
selections from the Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters' songbooks. Mo' knows the basics, even if his original songs veer into diluted-blues territory. But
performing solo is a challenge for the artist, one he enjoys because it keeps
the music, and his approach to it, fresh. "After a band tour I look forward
to doing a solo tour. Playing with a band and solo are both really fun, but
it's the change from one to the other that keeps things interesting."
Like most bluesmen, Mo' spends extensive time on the road. He finds that
composing cohesive albums, as opposed to individual songs, is difficult, if
not impossible with his heavy touring schedule. "I'm in the process now of
writing another record, but that's always a hell of a challenge to come up
with material while your touring. You're constantly playing the old songs, so
you have that in your head. To work on writing new stuff is like two
different heads." Keb' has indicated that his next, as yet unwritten album,
will take him in a new direction, but he's still unsure of where that is.
"You don't know until you get there. It just comes out. It's like having a
baby… 'What's the baby going to look like?' Who knows?… You know it's going
to resemble mom and dad, but that's it."
With his uplifting lyrics and easy-going melodies walking on the bluesy
side of pop (or is it vice versa?), Mo's albums are mini-self help books
which go down easy. Still, the concepts he deals with are as heavy as life
itself. "When I'm writing, I deal with life situations. Blues is life. What I
do is different because instead of staying in the gutter I go into the gutter
and lift out a little more. Loving yourself is where it starts. In life,
everything you desire is looking for you. Everything you create, you create
in your mind first. When you change your thoughts about what you wish to
receive, then what you receive changes." That was difficult for Mo', but he's
turned his life around through hard work and readjusting his mind. "It takes
practice. If you were thinking negative thoughts for years, you can't just
snap out of it. Thinking positively and getting rid of those old thoughts
took a lot of practice over the years."
As the ever-grinning bluesman sings in his most straightforward tune,
"I'm gonna make my world a better place, I'm going to keep that smile on my
face, I'm going to make myself a better man." Like his music it's a sweet,
succint yet pointed philosophy he lives by, and wants you to as well.
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