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He flew under my radar for many years but now I have all his music, I think.What a fantastic artist, If only he had some live shows in the heartland.Great acoustic album. First album that I am aware of and beautiful voice and lyrics.
That age effectively ended on an economic level with the vast increases in the mechanization of agriculture and the migration of blacks north (mainly to Chicago and other Midwest industrial stops) in the period leading up to World War II. That is where the artist under review, Keb' Mo', comes into the picture. plantation life of hard toil (picking that damn cotton), hard living and hard loving from an earlier part of the last century. And by creating their own blues tradition. This reviewer has spent much ink in this space over the past year or so touting various old time country blues singers like Bukka White, Skip James and, of course, Son House.
Note: I first heard of Keb' through part one of Martin Scorsese's six part 2003 PBS series on the history of the blues. Kudos Keb'. But what of now. "Anybody Seen My Girl" deserves a listen as does "Dirty Low Down and Bad" but if you have only time to listen to one give a listen to the old Robert Johnson tune " Kindhearted Woman" then you will know why the old blues tradition is still in capable hands. Who would, if anyone, continue that old blues tradition.Well we know part of the answer. So what is good here. That, however, begs an important question. In the age of the `hip-hop nation' the sheer number of those who are committed to the maintenance of this music is surely much too small but the quality, as represented by Keb', makes up the difference.
I have noted that their music reflected the rural southern, mainly Mississippi Delta. He has gone back to the roots with some sassy, saucy, sexy songs (mainly of his own creation) that would do his predecessors proud. I recommend that series for those who want a primer on the history of this music-then push on from there. Musically it ended with the electrification of the blues guitar as the music headed north. The various white (mainly) urban folk revivalists of the 1960's, including the likes of Dave Van Ronk and Eric Von Schmidt and British rock aficionados like Eric Clapton of that same period held the tradition together by physically "discovering" the remnants of the old time singers like the above-mentioned artists.
I recommend. My first cd from kebmo, no regrets. very well made, good recording,great songs.
Only a couple few make my playlists but its enough I enjoyed this album even though I had only heard a couple of his songs in the past.
what awesome talent. This is my first and definetely not my last.
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