Keb' Mo' The Door (CD)

(Music On CD) 12 tracks

Few musicians can captivate with just their voice and guitar, but Keb' Mo' manages to do it on his fifth release, "The Door." It's as if the DNA of Robert Johnson and James Taylor has been fused into this singer-songwriter, who was known as Kevin Moore in the '70s as guitarist for Papa John Creach. At 49 years old, Keb' Mo' has done his duty. More importantly, he's a compelling singer, a versatile string man and a fine songwriter. He's also one of the few best-selling artists today whose music truly deserves a large audience. His remake of the Elmore James classic "It Hurts Me Too" It's almost it's almost impossible to use a synthesizer in a blues context, but Keb' Mo' finds a way on this track. On mellow numbers like "Anyway" and sophisticated compositions like the jazzy "It's All Coming Back," Keb' Mo' also goes way beyond the blues.