Personnel: 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 Gonz lez, Steve Ferrone (drums); Paulinho Da Costa (percussion); Vincent Bonham, James Ingram , Sir Harry Bowens (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: John Porter.

Recording information: Shangri La Studio, Malibu, CA; Stu Stu Studio, West Los Angeles, CA.

Photographer: Jeff Dunas.

On 2006's SUITCASE, Keb' Mo's third studio outing in less than three years, the Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter/guitarist (aka Kevin Moore) presents another set of soulful, accessible blues. The album begins with the light, lilting "Your Love," and continues in a relaxed and generally romantic mood with songs such as the gentle "Still There for Me," the lovelorn "Rita," and the whimsical "I See Love," creating a breezy mood that stands in notable contrast to his '04 protest record, PEACE...BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND. Given Mo's deep, easy-going vocals and straightforward, nimble guitar playing, this disc has a charm that will appeal to both curious newcomers and longtime Mo fans.

On Suitcase, his eighth studio release, Keb' Mo' (Kevin Moore) reunites with John Porter, the producer of Moore's critically lauded first album, and the result is a pleasant, midtempo suite of songs dedicated to the emotional baggage everyone carries with them as they plow through increasingly complicated lives in search of peace, love, and some measure of personal redemption. Moore covers this ground with a wink and a grin in his voice, though, and Suitcase emerges as a wry commentary on modern life that still manages to sound bright and positive, beginning with the effervescent, sprung reggae rhythm of the opening track, "Your Love," one of the best cuts here. Other highlights include the lovely ballad, "Still There for Me," a celebration of the little man and his private victories, "I'm a Hero," and the soothing, hopeful shuffle that closes things out, "Life Is Beautiful." Moore is generally classified as a blues player, but the truth is, aside from his first album, he has actually done very little true blues material, and it is probably more accurate to call what he does blues-informed, but even that ignores the point that he is probably much closer in tone, theme, and feel to James Taylor than he is to Robert Johnson or any other blues figure. He does turn to the blues here, though, on the title track, "Suitcase," and morphs it into a wonderfully engaging song about what people bring into a romantic relationship and what they take away in the end, making full use of the "emotional baggage" connection inherent in the title. It is Keb' Mo' at his best, drawing on his ability to synthesize roots forms like the blues into completely contemporary commentaries on the struggles, travails, and blind faith in personal redemption that accompanies people as they slog their way daily ever deeper into the 21st century. ~ Steve Leggett

Living Blues (p.50) - "Blues informs all of Keb's material...and warmth of feeling, lyrical imagination, and a keen musical sense permeate everything on the disc."