Keb’ Mo’ – Suitcase (2006)

The simple blues-informed pop charms of L.A. songwriter Kevin Moore remain unchanged in his eighth album. All twelve of these songs about romance and its triumphs and failures go down easy, thanks to his unhurried and unmannered singing, and arrangements that run slow and spare. That openness allows Moore's slide playing, perfected on the porch of Mississippi delta bluesman Eugene Powell, to add subtle, pretty decoration to tunes like "Your Love" and "Eileen." He's got a sympathetic cohort in John Porter, who also produced Moore's debut album and is especially adept at capturing the sounds of the acoustic instruments that dominate this disc. After pursuing all the twists and turns of love and its baggage on Suitcase, Moore ends the CD with "Life Is Beautiful," an ode to the pure and basic joys of life as a couple, reflected in a blithely primal trio accompaniment of crisp acoustic guitar, mandolin, and drums.

Please note that this is an old but good rip (without log), made with an old version of EAC, and coming from my archives on external hard disc.

Personnel Includes:

Keb' Mo'- guitars, vocals
Fran Banish - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, National guitar
Paul Oscher - harp
Jeff Paris - mandolin, electric piano, Wurlitzer organ
John Porter - mandolin
Greg Tardy - clarinet
Joe Sublett - tenor saxophone
Darrell Leonard - trumpet, trombone
Jon Cleary - piano, electric piano, Wurlitzer organ
Reggie McBride - upright bass
Sergio González, Steve Ferrone - drums
Paulinho Da Costa - percussion
Vincent Bonham, James Ingram , Sir Harry Bowens - background vocals

Tracklist:

01. Your Love
02. The Itch
03. Eileen
04. Remain Silent
05. Still There for Me
06. Rita
07. I'm a Hero
08. Suitcase
09. Whole 'Nutha Thang
10. I See Love
11. I'll Be Your Water
12. Life Is Beautiful

Produced by John Porter
Recorded at Shangri La Studio, Malibu, CA and Stu Stu Studio, West Los Angeles, CA

Sound Quality: 9