Keb’ Mo’ may be one of the most talented artists to grace the stage at Jazz Fest this year.
His name may not mean as much to festival goers as other attending artists such as Jimmy Buffet or Bon Jovi, but it is one they will never forget.
A man who started his career singing gospel, the same soul and grace still resonate in his dusty voice.
Today he adopts the happiest blues you’ve ever heard.
A loosely plucked slide guitar and carefree jazz piano play foundation to his best tracks, such as “She Just Wants to Dance.”
He sings, “There’s a rhythm in her footsteps/ and a flower in her hair./ A smile on her face/ cause she’s in a place/ where she don’t have a care./ She ain’t lookin’ for no lover/ she ain’t lookin for romance,/ she just wants to dance.”
While all of Mo’s songs are ones to tunes taunt your toes, his lyrics often deal with deeper issues.
His album ‘Big Wide Grin’ addresses his father’s death, and the selflessness of his step father: the man with the “big wide grin.”
Whether its through a rhythm a dancing soul can’t refuse, or through the honest lyrics of a man who truly understands life’s blessings, Keb’ Mo’ will stick in the minds of anyone lucky enough to attend his show.
