On
Suitcase
, his eighth studio release,
Keb' Mo'
(
Kevin Moore
) reunites with
John Porter
, the producer of
Moore
's critically lauded first album, and the result is a pleasant, midtempo suite of songs dedicated to the emotional baggage everyone carries with them as they plow through increasingly complicated lives in search of peace, love, and some measure of personal redemption.
covers this ground with a wink and a grin in his voice, though, and
emerges as a wry commentary on modern life that still manages to sound bright and positive, beginning with the effervescent, sprung
reggae
rhythm of the opening track,
"Your Love,"
one of the best cuts here. Other highlights include the lovely
ballad
,
"Still There for Me,"
a celebration of the little man and his private victories,
"I'm a Hero,"
and the soothing, hopeful shuffle that closes things out,
"Life Is Beautiful."
is generally classified as a
blues
player, but the truth is, aside from his first album, he has actually done very little true
material, and it is probably more accurate to call what he does
-informed, but even that ignores the point that he is probably much closer in tone, theme, and feel to
James Taylor
than he is to
Robert Johnson
or any other
figure. He does turn to the
here, though, on the title track,
"Suitcase,"
and morphs it into a wonderfully engaging song about what people bring into a romantic relationship and what they take away in the end, making full use of the "emotional baggage" connection inherent in the title. It is
at his best, drawing on his ability to synthesize roots forms like the
into completely contemporary commentaries on the struggles, travails, and blind faith in personal redemption that accompanies people as they slog their way daily ever deeper into the 21st century. ~ Steve Leggett