Slow Down

Let's dispel a common misconception right off the bat; Keb Mo is not a blues singer. To call him one would be as limiting as calling Lyle Lovett a country singer. He's got his finger in too many musical pies to be tied down to one tradition. As Slow Down makes plain, his songs are certainly bluesy, but like Taj Mahal, he takes the style an mingles it with so many others that a new paradigm is created.

Keb Mo's snappy, soulful acoustic guitar is the central element of most of the tunes here, but there's everything from funk to R&B to '70s-sounding rock-pop at work in these songs. As a composer, Keb Mo knows how to get down to the basics of human emotions and trials without lapsing into cliche, and his no-nonsense vocal delivery communicates his message effectively. Blues traditionalists may not get what they've been led to expect from Slow Down, but if they've got butts and feet, they won't be able to keep 'em still.