[.ca] Slow Down

From Amazon.com:
Guitarist and vocalist Keb' Mo' seems to be continuing in the direction suggested by his previous album, Just Like You, with this release. That is to say, mixed in with the country-blues style that dominated his self-titled debut are elements of soul, R & B, and rock (the opening "Muddy Water" sounds, in Keb' Mo's hands, a great deal like the Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Woman"). When this works, as it does on Slow Down's title track, it works very, very well. Some of the ballads, though, sound a little bland, and when the album returns to the tight, rock-inflected "Soon As I Get Paid" or the funky "A Letter to Tracy," it's refreshing. The real treats, however, come late in the album. With "Love in Vain" and "God Trying to Get Your Attention," Mo' gets down to the roots, and the sheer simplicity of the closing "I'm Telling You Now" is nothing short of beautiful, allowing Mo's considerable talent as a singer and guitarist to shine through. --Genevieve Williams

The blues has a great future with this man:
When I first picked this CD up, I hadnt heard any of his music I had only read a review about it and gave it a chance. SLOW DOWN by KEB' MO' is a great mix of country blues with some traditional blues that all fit perfectly well together here. The first time I listened to it, I was totally blown away. KEB has that soulful sounding voice that proves that if he wasnt singing the blues, he would be a great R & B or gospel singer. The musicianship on this album is top-notch. MUDDY WATER, I WAS WRONG, HENRY, SOON AS I GET PAID and A BETTER MAN are songs that the listener will enjoy and should give a listen to. The other gem on this album is his version of the Robert Johnson classic LOVE IN VAIN. On this song it is just KEB, his voice and an acostic guitar. I highly recommend to everyone to run and out by this album, you will not be disappointed.

ONE OF THE BEST BLUES ALBUMS EVER!:
After seeing Keb' Mo' at various blues concerts over the last few years I finally got enough determination to buy several (3) of his CD's simultaneously at Amazon.com. This was- by far!- the best of all three. In short, this album is a virtual flawless blues expression capturing the full range of Keb's multiple ablilities. The vocals are extremely soulful on a level that can be compared to Muddy Waters. And they seemed to be recorded more "up front" then the other Keb' Mo' CD's I bought having exceptional clarity and intonations. The music tracks recorded quality seems to be above the other 2 as well. They are more mature and complex with weaves of slide guitar with accordians, harmonica's, banjos, mandolins and back up vocals totally complimenting and underlining this unique blues artist's intrinsic musical abilities. On this CD his acoustic guitar is played with more pronounced deliberate rhythms as well. I can not stop listening to this album for the last week playing it several times a day. I feel so darn priveledge to being living at the same time as this artist. It's like all young blues fans out there get another chance to experience the likes of a seasoned blues master like a Muddy Waters and Johnny Lee Hooker (who may have never had a chance appreciated them while they were still living). Being a blues fan for over 20 years and having over 200 blues CD's I can confidentaly say that on this album all the ingredients seem to come together to put Keb Mo on a plane of those great blues masters. You got to buy this! Its not only the best Keb' Mo' album I've heard -it's definitely in the top 5 of all my blues CD's. Period. (2/2003)

I am hooked!:
This was my first exposure to Keb Mo and I am hooked! Great sound and lyrics. He also gives a great live performance.

Easy-listening studio pop-blues (if that's what you want):
I listened to this album with no previous exposure to, or information about the artist. I just figured it was soloist Louisiana blues, and gave it a try. I was quite disappointed. It's not that there is something glaringly wrong about the album - indeed, the production quality is quite nice - but it is simply too plain. Clear voice, clear playing, simple lyrics...it's just not interesting after a couple of songs. When I think about Blues, I think of a music that not only touches the soul, but wrangles with it. In that sense, this album is purely auditory. And although I don't listen to blues for its words, Keb Mo's lyrics often get disturbintly banal. If you want some background ambiance that may convince your naive friends that you're into non-mainstream genres, this album could work for you. If you want music that doesn't insult your attention span and that hits even deeper than emotions, look elsewhere. Speaking of that last sentence, it's hard to describe how good it felt to put on some Tom Waits after turning off this album....

Another Great One From Keb' Mo':
Keb' Mo' is one of my favorite new Blues artists. He's proven during the past few years that he can play Delta Blues with the best of them while maintaining a level of production quality that is enviable. He can add acoustic style Blues to urban beats and sound equally well in both at the same time. he has immense musical integrity. this recording is a shining example of what Keb' Mo' can do. The Cd contains mostly original compositions with a smattering of classic Blues. He sounds great on both, playing guitar and harmonica like one of the greats from the old days. His singing is fresh, yet never sounds out of place. keb' Mo' proves that Blues has a future, that it can hang onto it's roots, yet still remain fresh and vital. I definitely recommend this album.

• Muddy Water
• I Was Wrong
• Everything I Need
• Henry
• Soon as I Get Paid
• Better Man
• I Don't Know
• Letter to Tracy
• Slow Down
• Rainmaker
• Love in Vain
• God Trying to Get Your Attention
• I'm Telling You Now