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The remaking of Kevin Moore
The blues-pop singer and guitarist, now known as Keb' Mo', says success came when he stopped chasing trends and started following his heart.
By PHILIP BOOTH
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 11, 2001
It's All Coming Back, one of a dozen appealing, blues-rooted tunes on Keb' Mo's The Door, offers a bit of hindsight about the commercial success he enjoyed in the 1990s.
"I took my chances/And it all worked out somehow," the singer-guitarist, formerly known as Kevin Moore, sings on his fourth CD.
The disc, bolstered by musicians including drummer Jim Keltner, bassist Reggie McBride and keyboard player Greg Phillinganes, and the work of veteran producer Russ Titelman (Eric Clapton, James Taylor), places Keb' Mo' squarely in the company of blues-pop successes such as Clapton and Bonnie Raitt.
Those lyrics offer one way of understanding his career turnaround. In the late '80s, after a long exploration of pop and rock, he made a sharp turn into country blues, pouring himself into the music of Robert Johnson and Big Bill Broonzy, among others.
Keb' Mo' found his way into jam sessions with Big Joe Turner, Pee Wee Crayton, Albert Collins and Jimmy Witherspoon and spent a season hanging out with Delta bluesman Eugene Powell in Mississippi. He played bluesmen onstage in Los Angeles productions of Rabbit Foot and Spunk, began concentrating on solo acoustic work and renamed himself.
Three CDs and two Grammys later, the singer has developed a loyal national following, selling out concert halls, landing airplay and notching impressive sales figures. He says he's surprised at how quickly it all happened.
"I was really ready to be in a small niche for a long time, maybe just playing the guitar solo acoustic and doing country blues," he says from a tour stop in Greenville, S.C.
"But it kind of worked out a little better. I think that's because of having no expectations, following your heart. Me connecting with the music, and me connecting with myself, allowed other people to connect with me.
"Before, I was really trying to connect with the audience. I was trying to connect with what was going on, with what was popular. I always ended up a day late and chasing my tail. You never really know what people like, anyway. It's not so much a science, but you've just got to go from the heart."
The Door offers the grit of Mo's deep-toned singing and National steel guitar playing, as well as the gift of his seasoned songwriting. The spiritually minded title track and troubled-relationship tune Come On Back are among the standouts of a set that also includes two collaborations with Bobby McFerrin: Loola Loo and The Beginning.
Mo' additionally revives the Elmore James chestnut It Hurts Me Too, adding electronic elements, including a trip-hop beat. On paper, it sounds hokey. The recording, though, is a hard-grooving gripper.
Cynics might suggest that Mo' simply remade himself, two decades after his 1980 debut disc, Rainmaker, flopped.
"I don't really think about that (commercial potential)," he says. "I think about doing the right thing for the songs. We're all a part of pop culture, so it's quite natural for a little bit to rub off. It comes in honestly. It doesn't come with any intention."
PREVIEW:
Keb' Mo', 8 p.m. Saturday, Tampa Theatre. Tickets are $25.
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