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BUY THE CD
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Keb Mo (Kevin Moore) has been gaining much notoriety with his work as a composer for films and television. If you're a fan of TNT's Memphis Beat, then you’ve heard his music. The Reflection is his first CD since Suitcase, which arrived for our listening pleasure in 2006.
The Reflection showcases his musical versatility with journeys into R&B, soul, and jazz. Not only is the CD on his own label, but he also is the producer. It’s been a labor of love for the past three years, and he incorporates all those who have musically influenced him.
Keb has brought in some top-notch assistance from the likes of Vince Gill (with his trademark mandolin), Dave Koz, David T. Walker, and India Arie. The CD is a trip on a raft, floating downstream in crystal clear cool water. At least it seemed that way to me when I first listened to the title track. When I closed my eyes, the song just brought about instant calmness. I also found that true with “We Don’t Need It.”
The opening track, “The Whole Enchilada,” is a nice, soothing start to the CD. Of the twelve tracks on this collection of tasteful tunes, Keb has writing credits on ten of them. One of the tracks, “Walking Through Fire,” was co-authored by Keb and Melissa Manchester. For those of you not familiar with Keb, he plays lead guitar (on eleven songs) as well as showing his prowess on electric piano and drums.
What really grabbed my attention was his cover of an Eagles song, “One of These Nights.” He doesn’t really cover the song as much as he re-invents it. I immediately had to listen to it again, after first asking myself, “Was that an Eagles song I just heard?” I think a testament to Keb recording the song is that there were no added dramatics but rather a deep, soulful read into the lyrics.
Therein lies the success of The Reflection. Keb Mo has the ability to provide a relaxing musical mix of jazz, R&B, and soul while delivering an impact of lyrics that exercise the mind. With this CD, you can have your cake and eat it, too.
A reminder to our readers: the phrase “R&B” means “rhythm and blues.” With today’s extremes of rap music that’s heavily censored to the sterility of the soulless droning of American Idol wannabes, Keb Mo shows us that the genre “R&B” still exists. Keb, thanks!
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