![\"M-34-KEB-MO\"](\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/M-34-KEB-MO.jpg\")
<\/h1>\n<\/h1>\n\u201cI\u2019m a control freak,\u201d Grammy-winning blues artist Keb\u2019 Mo\u2019 declares flatly. Indeed, the Nashville-based musician had a hand in every aspect of making his latest album, BLUESAmericana<\/i>, including playing many of the instruments. But, he confesses, \u201cWhen I couldn\u2019t make something sound as good as I wanted it to sound\u2014sometimes my touch wasn\u2019t strong enough on the bass\u2014I would call someone else in to play, because I wanted to get it right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Born Kevin Moore in Compton, Calif., the 62-year-old singer and multi-instrumentalist recorded the album at his home, some 20 years after his self-titled solo debut. Collaborators included co-producer Casey Wasner, drummer Keio Stroud, jazz band the California Feetwarmers, civil rights-era Freedom Rider Ernest \u201cRip\u201d Patton Jr., and Moore\u2019s wife, Robbie Brooks Moore. In fact, his relationship with Robbie shaped the album\u2019s tone. \u201cMy albums always deal with life,\u201d he says. \u201cJust listen and you can tell what I\u2019m going through.\u201d<\/p>\n
Several of the tracks formed while facing a \u201cchallenging time\u201d in his marriage. \u201cA challenging time in a committed<\/i> marriage,\u201d he stresses. \u201cNot one that I was going to run from. In the past, when things got bad, I ran. This time I was like, \u2018OK, I\u2019m staying.\u2019\u201d He points to the uptempo album opener \u201cThe Worst Is Yet to Come,\u201d about a<\/p>\n
Murphy\u2019s Law kind of day, as a song that helped him cope with the situation. \u201cIt\u2019s a humorous way to showcase the fear I had, and to look at life\u2019s problems and laugh at them\u2014even if you lose your job, your wife took all the furniture, and your dog took a crap on the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n
The musical therapy worked\u2014and his marriage not only survived but thrived. \u201cRobbie\u2019s my buddy and partner,\u201d he says. \u201cShe\u2019s the CEO of my record company. We operate by instinct and move together\u2014and that\u2019s the most important thing, that our minds are aligned.\u201d She even sings on album closer \u201cSo Long Goodbye,\u201d about two lovers going their separate ways.<\/p>\n
In reality, Keb\u2019 Mo\u2019 moved from his lifelong home in California to Nashville to raise a family. \u201cI didn\u2019t think Nashville was a better place to pursue music; I was perfectly happy in Los Angeles. I moved to Nashville to live<\/i>,\u201d he says. \u201cBut it\u2019s a great place\u00a0to be a musician. It has its own\u00a0personality, and you\u2019re close to cities like Memphis, Muscle Shoals and Atlanta\u2014it\u2019s a musical vortex. I like it. I didn\u2019t think I\u00a0would. But the life I have is what feeds my music\u2014my family, my friends and the\u00a0world around me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013Katy Kroll<\/p>\n
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