A Conversation with Keb Mo (Kevin Moore) – HuffPost 8.8.11

Mike Ragogna: Hey Keb Mo, aka Kevin Moore, how the heck are you?

Kevin Moore: Hi Mike, how you doing?

MR: I’m doing fine, sir. It seems like your brand of blues has shifted on your new album album, The Reflection. It sounds much more R&B and jazzy. Was it intentional or is that what just happened?

KM: Well that’s what just happened. “Intentional” meaning there was a “premeditation towards,” but there was none of that. That was just the way I went. When it was all said and done and I finished it, that’s the record I made and I went with it.

MR: We crossed paths back at Universal on Amy Grant’s Greatest Hits, you were featured with her on the new emphasis track.

KM: Yeah, she had cut it before and she asked me to remix it and redefine it. So, I went in and remixed it put it together like really cool.

MR: Ever since Rainmaker, you’ve been putting out albums periodically in the ’90s especially and won a few Grammys in the process. Like “Muddy Water” from Slow Downwhich was a tribute to Muddy Waters. Another was for your Keep It Simple album. “Just Like You” got you your first Grammy, the one including Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt, right?

KM: Yes, it was.

MR: And you have some great duets on this album such as “Crush On You.”

KM: I had met india.arie several years ago. I was running into her at gigs and in Australia, we share the same birthday as well, October 3rd. The song “Crush On You” was written by my friend Kevin So, who’s actually with my band this year. He had this song “Crush On You” that he played me and I freaked, I said, “That’s a great song, what are you doing with that song?” He’s an independent artist and he had it on one of his records and he played it at a show and I thought “Man, that’s really cool.” This time, making my record, I said, “Ya know, would you mind if I took a crack at that song?” He said of course because it’s kind of a stretch and I wanted to see if I could pull it off, because it’s not something I’m really adept to so much. But I love the song so much that I just worked real hard to learn it and represent it well.

MR: It sounds like you to me, not much of a stretch to these ears, sir.

KM: Well it wasn’t, it was a song I didn’t write and I wanted it to be really right, for the sake of respecting the song. I thought India on it would just be really cool, I went to call her to see if she would do it. So, I called her and said I was going to send her the song. I sent her an MP3 of what I had done so far and she sent back, “Yeah I like it, I will do it.” So, she did it and sung it and sent the files back. That’s how it happened. It’s really a huge deal for me, “no” would have been a great answer, I was okay with it. But I was so grateful when she said she would do it, I wanted to represent, well, a great song and a great artist doing a duet with me on it. I wanted to give it all I had.

MR: Also you have a cover on this album that was surprising, The Eagles’ “One Of These Nights,” and you smoothly turned it into a Keb’ Mo’ song. What made you chose that song?

KM: Usually, all my choices in songs, originals, and covers, are made based on some kind of connection to the song or some kind of opportunity that makes it go. This opportunity was when Don Henley was honored as Person of the Year by Musicares. I was invited to sing a song–“One Of These Nights”–that’s when I worked up that version. I wanted to pay tribute to him and the song, but I wanted to do it in a way that was accessible to me. I always remembered that his wife was like, “I really like what you did with that song.” So, I said, “Okay, let me see,” then we went into the studio and cut it. I originally tried to get The Eagles to sing background on it, which is kind of a stretch and it was kind of a big ordeal. I also could have probably pulled it off, but it was such a big ordeal that I said it was too hard. When something is too hard, I kind of shy away from it, not because I’m not up for a challenge. But when it’s hard like that, it’s maybe not the best choice.

MR: In this case, what you did with that song as a result of not having The Eagles on it might have been a better choice since it has your own unique vibe on it.

KM: Exactly. The universe puts everything right under your nose. I had my wife and a lady named Vida Simon and Heather Donovan sing the song, they knocked it out the park.

MR: So, about your new album, The Reflection. Tell me if I’m reaching here, but I think it’s a journey, an exploration on how to become a better person, and relationships. Like for instance, in “The Whole Enchilada,” now that you’ve got the one you love, you’ve got a choice to be a better person.

KM: Now is when the work starts–the wedding is not the ending, it’s the beginning. It’s the beginning of a great journey for the two of you if you chose to go on it. The line that sums it up, “It’s about to get different you’re going to need a new device.”

MR: My favorite line in “Inside Outside” is when one points one finger, three point back. Can you go into that song a little bit?

KM: The song was written by myself and Skip Ewing, a Nashville writer. He called me up and said he wanted to write a song with me, he was coming out to LA for a trip. I ended up moving out to Nashville later, but at the time, I didn’t know that’s what I would be doing. So, he came out to LA, and we set an appointment and we wrote that song. “Let’s write, but let’s not try to write anything ‘country,’ let’s just try to write a song.” We both wanted to do something different than what we had done before. We talked about it inside and outside, and about what you see on the outside is what you’re projecting on the inside. I tried to share something I find to be true a lot of times, I don’t know if it’s true to everybody. I didn’t really try to write about everything, but it’s an experience I’ve had.

MR: Let’s cover a few more songs. “My Baby’s Been Telling Lies” with the great line, “My baby’s got a body built for sin.”

KM: Vince Gill came up with that line. Once we had written it, we had a go back through the lyrics and it was like, “That line doesn’t make sense,” but it does make sense, we just left it in.

MR: And many males thank you for that.

KM: (laughs) It was the only way to go.

MR: What was it like working with Vince Gill? You guys are pals?

KM: Yeah, we’re friends, it was really cool. When you work with a guy like that who has won over 20 Grammys, when you work with a guy who’s in the Country Music Hall of Fame and who is an icon, you can’t believe he’s your friend. He’s the most regular, kind, and gentle guy I’ve ever met. At first, I had to get my head wrapped around it, and he helped me by his actions, by really being a friend. So, the Vince Gill collaboration was very natural and very organic, I didn’t have to call him up and say, “Do you want to do something?” The fact that we wrote a song and the next natural step was to record it, it was just really natural, as was Dave Koz doing the saxophone solo on “One Of These Nights,” as was David T. Walker playing additional guitar on the record. It was just really natural. When I moved to Nashville, he put me in touch with Bruce Bouton who played the guitar solo on “Inside Outside,” he’s my neighbor and he plays with Garth Brooks. Everything really happened naturally. I kept at the record because I wanted it to be something special.

MR: Speaking of something special, the song “We Don’t Need It” is really beautiful and pretty topical considering the economy. I love how you tell your family you were laid off and how you now won’t be able to get things for them like running shoes for your son and a new dress for your daughter. Then, one by one, your family tells you what they’re going to do to help, like rake leaves and have a yard sale, because all they need is you.
KM: As a kid, that’s what I felt. I grew up in a middle class Compton family with my father. I didn’t care about the fact my father was broke, I was with my dad.

MR: And you’re no stranger to the children’s music world, you did Big Wide Grin.

KM: It was produced by a friend of mine named Kevin McCormick who plays bass with Jackson Browne. He said, “Why don’t you do this song called “The Flat Foot Floogie,” and I’m like wow. So, I got Camryn Manheim, the actress from The Practice, to come sing it with me. He also wanted me to do “Isn’t She Lovely.” I mean, you don’t just cover Stevie Wonder if you’re a blues guy. I was really scared when he asked me to do it. He’s a really good producer, a really good guy, and a very musical cat. We met while I was playing guitar for Deniece Williams and he was playing bass, then he went to play with Jackson Browne. The material was so much fun, like doing “Love Train.” We did “Big Yellow Taxi,” the Joni Mitchell son. It was a fun record.

MR: Sometimes, children’s releases talk down to kids, but you made an album that was enjoyable for parents as well.

KM: It’s family fun–something for the kids, something for the parents. I call it more of a family record. It got nominated for a Grammy for best kids record that year.

MR: You’re no stranger to Grammyland.

KM: And I got my butt whipped by Elmo. (laughs)

MR: You also participated in events with the No Nukes organization.

KM: A little bit. I participated with Bonnie in a lot of her causes–nukes, mines. I actually talked to her today and she was on her way down to Southern California to do a No Nukes thing with Jackson Browne. I’ve participated in a lot of things, I’ve performed at one No Nukes thing. I can’t say I’m deeply involved in it and I can’t really take credit for that. I would say yes that I’m really connected to Bonnie, and Bonnie is a real champion of causes. I have so much respect for her. Every time she calls me to help her, I help her without a question. Through that, I think I’ve gained an undeserved reputation for being an activist.

MR: Well, today, you’re doing that by talking to a solar-powered radio station.

KM: Well that’s good, I’ve got solar-powered lights on in my yard. We’ve used bio diesel for our tours, and I turn the water off when I’m shaving.

MR: What advice do you have for new artists?

KM: My advice is love what you do, and know that you’re going to accomplish whatever you need to accomplish. Be very clear about your goals.

MR: Clear about where you want to be in five to ten years?

KM: Where you want to be moment to moment. Be very clear where you want your career to go and believe where you should be. As far as how you’re going to accomplish it, nobody really knows that for sure.

MR: Keb, thank you so much for spending some time today.

KM: Thank you so much, Mike.

Transcribed by Theo Shier