Keb’ Mo’: The Reflection
When I received the Keb Mo album, I thought “awesome! The new Keb Mo album.” Then as I thought more about it, I realized I had never actually heard Keb Mo. He was the type of artist whose name I had heard thrown around but not an artist I ever actually listened to. So as I dove into his eighth studio album, The Reflection, I knew I would have to do some serious research for this review.
Keb Mo’s name is probably so familiar to me and others because of his incredible Grammy winning streak. Mo won three Best Contemporary Blues Album Grammys over a 10 year period. Or he might seem familiar because he was part of Martin Scorsese‘s The Blues series. Either way, in the world of blues, Keb Mo is a pretty big deal.
Mo’s blues roots are not exactly in full showcase on The Reflection. The album instead sees Keb Mo turn into a soulful crooner with guitar playing second fiddle to his vocals. I listen to a track like “Crush On You.” The track’s main instrument is a Hammond organ and besides a short solo, Keb Mo’s guitar playing is negligible. But besides the obvious fault that the guitar is not more prominently featured, the song is also boring. Despite featuring India.Arie, the track feels like fodder for an adult contemporary station more than the type of song that should populate a perennial Grammy contender’s album.
Unfortunately, most of the songs on The Reflection follow along the same path as “Crush On You.” The songs are often catchy enough but feature no oomph. I am sure because I am not very familiar with Keb Mo’s previous work some people will accuse me of “not getting it,” but there does not seem to be a lot to get with The Reflection. It is a safe, boring album.
Rating: 4.7/10
MP3: Keb Mo featuring India.Arie “Crush On You”
Buy: iTunes
Keb’ Mo’: The Reflection
