Customer Reviews

Suitcase

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Keb' Mo' continues to please the listener with a diverse variety of smooth blues. The album's focus is on love and relationships. A must have for any Keb' Mo' fan. Mo' stays true to his own version of the blues and it pays off. One of his best to date.

Lyrics that we can all relate to, well delivered vocals and a great production makes this album one you can just listen to over and over without having to skip a single track. Mo' is keeping blues relevant by keeping up with the times, his lyrics reflect his life experiences as did the lyrics of bluesman of the past. Thank you Keb' Mo'.

First of all, ladies and gentlemen, this man is the real deal. If you have been a fan from the beginning of his career like me, buy this, and sit back and enjoy. If you have never bought anything of Keb's before , buy this, and sit back and enjoy it. Keb' sings the blues. But, for you non-blues lovers, don't let that scare you. He sings about his life, and he sings about your and my life. We can all relate to his lyrics. B.B. King has always said that to sing the blues, you had to have lived the blues. Well, with all due respect to Mr. King, that isn't always completely true, to a degree.

After you buy Keb's new album, "Suitcase", I'm sure you will want to hear more. I'm sure of it. I would suggest to purchase them in chronological order - "Keb' Mo'", "Just Like You", "Slow Down", "The Door", "Big Wide Grin", "Peace...Back By Popular Demand", and "Keep It Simple". You simply can't go wrong with any of them. Now, I should mention that with the first two that I mentioned, "Keb' Mo'" and "Just Like You", Keb' won "The W. C. Handy Award", which is the biggest award that you can win in the Blues music world. On these albums Keb' sings alot of good old Mississippi Delta Blues, made famous by artists such as the legendary Robert Johnson. And, believe me, Keb' does the music justice and more.

Believe me, this is music that anyone, if they give it a chance, will either love from the beginning, or they will quickly learn to love. And, if you want to hear acoustic slide guitar, or slide guitar on a National Steel Guitar, you won't hear anyone better than Keb' Mo'.

There's only one more thing that I'd like to say, and I hope the people that I'm directing this to don't take it the wrong way, because it certainly isn't meant that way. Keb'Mo' is a Black man, or if you wish, an African American. When you go to a Keb' Mo' show, 95% of the audience is white, which is a shame. I don't mean to get racial, but this man deserves to be heard by everyone. And, if you are in the minority of his fan's, you are definitely missing some great, great music. You deserve to hear it, and Keb' deserves to give you the opportunity to play it for you. I guarantee you that once you listen to him, you won't go back to listening to most of that stuff that's thrown at you on the radio. I've met Keb', and he is one of the nicest, kindest, people that you'd ever want to meet, and it certainly comes across in his music. I can't wait for the next album and I just received the new one today for Father's Day. Thanks Keb'. You're the man!

I have every one of the eight albums/CDs and DVDs that Keb' Mo' (Kevin Moore) has released during his career. Some I have liked more than others, but I have been disappointed in NONE of them. His latest contribution "The Suitcase" is one of his best efforts to date, and will leave new fans scrambling to buy his previous albums/CDs.

I came in at the beginning, when he was doing small Country Fairs, and Small Music Festivals in places like Eureka Springs, Arkansas (pop. under 2,500), where you either paid nothing to see him, or just a modest entry fee. I'm one of the lucky ones. He is one of the nicest, most laid back and easy-going people I've ever met, and that quality comes through in his music. He, and his music, is unpretentious; his voice is mellifluous, yet tinged sometimes with a raspy, raw edge to punctuate the pain found within many of his songs. The quality of his songwriting is that of a Jackson Browne or a Bonnie Raitt; in fact, both of them appeared - together - in one song on his second album/CD, "Just Like You." In addition, Keb' will be the opening act for Bonnie Raitt when her tour arrives in Little Rock, AR this coming October, 2006. You can bet that I'll be there for the show.

You can also count on top notch musicians playing with Keb' on his albums, that his songs will not be "over-produced," and that they will still bear traces of the somewhat rough edges which usually accompany "the blues." While Keb' Mo's blues may not sound, or feel exactly like that played by some of the old time greats, it is HIS interpretation of the "blues," and his alone, and he does a wonderful job of crafting, stating, and playing the songs/stories his own way.

While some fans of more traditional "Blues" may not appreciate Keb's style, that's okay. Keb' has proven that there is room for more than just one approved and accepted form. Most people know this, but I see where one critic on this page - who has apparently appointed himself as "the-one-who-decides" - is upset at Keb's audacity of calling his musical style "blues." Hmmm? Bonnie Raitt is about as authentically "bluesy" as you can get, but it appears that SHE is not angry about Keb's so-called "audacity."

Look, I don't know if it is Keb' who is calling his music "the blues," or if it is the record company mavens. But, either way, I wouldn't get apoplectic, or let my blood-pressure skrocket over something this trivial in the greater scheme of "Life" with a capital "L." :-)

Those more open-minded, true afficionados of good music understand that - just as Jazz has expanded and evolved into something other than what was heard where it originated in old saloons, into what was played in the great dance halls by the big bands, then into the style heard in the smokey bars of Thelonius Monk and Miles Davis, and is still changing, today - so has the "blues" evolved, been transformed, and is currently being translated and interpreted in authentically new ways by some of today's visionaries: folks like, well...like Keb'Mo'! And, in the cases of both "jazz" and "the blues," all these styles and variations on a theme are great in their own ways.

I happen to like old style Robert Johnson blues, as well as the innovative Keb' Mo' style. I'm not into arguing about whose style is best, I'm into listening to good music. You wanna' argue, go someplace else, 'cause I can't hear you when I have my headphones on. :-)

All things considered, I feel certain that, in the not too distant future, the name Keb' Mo' will be associated with those of some of the great bluesmen, as well as some of the great singer-songwriters. He's too good, too smooth, too real, too authentic not to garner wide acceptance. His sound is so sweet, and moving that it forces you to emote and get carried away in the rush or comforted by the beauty. But, no matter which it is - you are gonna' emote! And, it is because of that I feel he is headed for immortality.

Keb' Mo's 8th CD is a delightful winner. It follows "Slow Down," "Keep It Simple," & "Peace" as his 4th #1 Blues CD. Although "Slow Down" still ranks as his top charting CD on Billboard (#109), "Suitcase" is so good that it will find its audience. While the entire CD is satisfying, my favorite 4 tracks begin with the bluesy "The Itch." Mo' bounces joyfully on the track and takes his case to the Spirit in the Sky, "Mother Mary, Father Joe, I need to talk to your son. He had his troubles just like mine and he was the chosen one." My favorite track is the bouncy "Remain Silent" with the classic chorus, "The truth will set you free, but the less you say, the better off you'll be." Mo' goes classic on "Whole 'Nutha Thang" with some Dixieland riffs thrown in as he tends a classic theme, "I don't care much about cocaine & you'll never see me jumping out no airplane; Wine & whiskey don't give me no thrills & I don't care 'nuthin 'bout them nasty little pills, But women, that's a whole 'nutha thang." Darrell Leonard's trumpet & Joe Sublett's tenor sax stroke and sass the melody exquisitely. One of the slower tracks, "I'll Be Your Water," ranks up with some of Mo's most emotionally touching music. The simple acoustic guitar backing his trembling voice, "If you ever need a helping hand, I'll be your ship out on the ocean; I'll be your water in the desert sand." The other tracks on the set are also consistently strong like "Still There for Me" & the title track. This is a delightful set that grows on you the more you listen. Keb' Mo' is one of blues' best new acts. Bravo!

I have to admit that Keb's last few albums did disapoint me. So when I saw that this album was being released, I was crossinig my fingers and hoping that he decided to go back to his roots. He does not disapoint. His album is crisp and solid. His best work in the past 5 years. The only thing better than this album was seing him in concert again in Albany and listening to him play almost the entire album live. Wonderful show, wonderful album, fantastic artist. This is one of those special albums that you will love from the first time you listen to it. Buy and enjoy!!

Keb Mo continues to fascinate with his gritty yet precision voice that syncopates perfectly with his steady melodic guitar playing. Suitcase represents to me the apogee of his career.



His recent spate of recordings threatened over-exposure and I feared and then witnessed a slight a degradation of material. Now comes Suitcase, a rich tableau of relationships, something quite true to the blues. Much of this work has an R & B feel, reminiscent of Bill Withers.



Life is Beautiful is filled with a steady playful rift that sighs at the beauty of life, much like Satchmos Its a Wonderful World. I say life is made more beautiful by whimsical rich songs such as this.



Another jewel is Whole Nutta Thing, a comical admission to the male gender's helplessness to the fairer sex. Clever lyrics and toe-tapping tones.



But the song that could become an anthem for Keb MO is The Itch. A steamy sultry lament about bad marriages and the complexities of commitment. Its a moving haunting song that captures the full depth and breath of soul and blues. Beautifully sung from the gut, masterful lyrics. I believe this song cements Keb Mo as THE modern day icon of this musical genre. He has become a standard-bearer for the tradition of this emotional music.

~Michael Joseph Snyder

I've got everything I've ever seen available from Keb Mo and find it all pure pleasure to listen to. You can argue about "blues or not" all day, but I just like his music and his delivery.

One thing tho, Amazon shows 13 cuts on this CD and I onliest got 12. There's not a "Making Do" cut on mine. Did the "bad people" take that cut....I WANT IT BACK.

enjoy

Excellent cd.Keb' Mo' has style and grace mixed in with blues that touch your heart!

Mmm, Mmm, Good...Once again Keb' Mo' has delighted me with original songs I might never have experienced if I hadn't bought this CD. Mostly the songs are about loving and losing. Who can't relate to that. Eileen is about a love that never had a chance. And Rita is about the one that got away. All of the songs are good, however I do have my favorites...as always. For gritty, soul-stirring depth you can't beat Whole 'Nutha Thang. Quite frankly, you'll be humming these songs long after the CD ceases to play. Especially the effervescent, Life is Beautiful. I remain, and always will be, a Keb' Mo' fan.

Keb is a talented musician with a beautiful voice and solid poetic compositional skills. Very much appreciated that he participated in the Vote For Change tour in '04, and thought that he, Bonnie and Jackson Browne were one hell of a trio.