Blues master Keb’ Mo’ soars with a fantastic, intimate set

/Home/Blues Festivals and Concerts in the US/Blues Concert Articles and Reviews

Blues master Keb’ Mo’ soars with a fantastic, intimate set
October 20, 2009
By Joe Sweeney
The Buffalo News


Keb’ Mo’ performs Monday night in the Bears Den Showroom at the Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls.
Bill Wippert/Buffalo News

Blues master Keb’ Mo’ soars with a fantastic, intimate set
By Joe Sweeney
NEWS CONTRIBUTING REVIEWER
Updated: October 20, 2009, 7:54 AM / 0 comments
Story tools:

* Larger
* Smaller
* Save
* Print
* Email
* Get Alerts NEW

Share this story:
Buzz up!
Add to My Yahoo!

Sometimes it seems like there are only two types of blues music — the type that influenced rock, driven by stories told from the gut about life’s ups and downs, and the type that is influenced by rock, driven by long, self-centered guitar solos.

But on Monday night, in the Bears Den at Seneca Niagara Casino, Keb’ Mo’ shattered this theory to pieces with a fantastic, intimate set.

Mo’, or if you want to go by the name on his birth certificate, Kevin Moore, is something of a modern blues legend. Since his debut album in 1994, the singer/songwriter/guitarist has managed to carry the torch of Muddy Waters and B. B. King while adding some spices of his own — like classic soul, mainstream R&B and country, for starters.

This cavalier spirit was exhibited early Monday night, as Mo’ and his airtight three-piece band kicked things off with a cover of Sly & the Family Stone’s “Family Affair.”

This wasn’t some “bluesedup” version of a classic; it was a loyal homage, with the group nailing the original’s slinky funk vamp and Mo’ mimicking Sly’s playful baritone vocals with great success.

This was followed up by “Victims of Comfort,” the lead cut off the artist’s new live record, “Live & Mo’,” released last Tuesday. A slow, slick R&B ballad that could have been written for Van Morrison, the track suffered from the keyboardist’s electric piano patch, the kind of sound that makes any tune sound instantly like Peter Cetera.

But that’s a very minor complaint. In fact, nothing else about this show was remotely plastic sounding. The tunes, the playing and the between-song banter was steeped in honest-to-goodness artistic joy and organic creativity. These positive vibes peaked when Mo’ pulled out the song “Life Is Beautiful,” a sweet-as-pie country-blues shuffle that is the pure sonic equivalent of a lazy summer stroll with your one true love.

Mo’s lyrics were simple and touching, the melody a McCartney-esque charmer, making for some seriously blissful listening. And it did me another big favor — now when I hear the words “life is beautiful,” I can think about a great song instead of Roberto Benigni.

Another slam dunk of a performance came on this one’s heels, a clever 12-bar blues called “Government Cheese,” also off the new live record. As Mo’ shared his love for his woman Louise, who’s a wiz in the kitchen with said welfare-related dairy product, his band leaned into the simple, funky riff, with the keyboardist layering on some great synth horn and B3 accents.

But the crowd wasn’t quite going yet, that is until Mo’ broke into “Dangerous Mood,” a commanding extended blues jam soaked in sexual desperation. After a few verses that outline the nature of the narrator’s mood — including a great line about parking the car down the street to make it look like nobody’s home, which makes it easier to commence with the love-making — Mo’ contributed a slow, sizzling solo, with stops and starts reminiscent of Buddy Guy.

It was the kind of tune that made random audience members cry out in the quiet spaces, urging the musicians on toward the glorious climax. This kind of visceral emotion is the essence of the blues, and Keb’ Mo’ delivered it with authority, taking an art form with a sad name and using it to rejoice like hell.