Suitcase

1	Your Love 4:18
2	The Itch 4:55
3	Eileen 6:31
4	Remain Silent 4:42
5	Still There for Me 3:10
6	Rita 4:52
7	I'm a Hero 4:45
8	Suitcase 4:50
9	Whole 'Nutha Thang 3:55
10	I See Love 3:59
11	I'll Be Your Water 3:14
12	Life Is Beautiful 4:16

Barnes & Noble

Kevin Moore's easygoing blues-pop assimilates a whole range of blues styles, not just the romantic Delta tradition he invokes through a National steel and a fedora. Suitcase packs in references from Taj Mahal ("Eileen") to B. B. King ("Remain Silent") to um, James Taylor ("Still There for Me"). Whether it's the Caribbean-tinged shuffle of "Your Love," the Memphis soul stylings of "Remain Silent," or the Latin-flavored boogaloo of "The Itch," Moore radiates likebility as a modern-day bluesman who listens to the ladies even as he slays them. Well, it's his musical chops that are most formidable: On slide and electric guitar, and backed by a band of studio regulars including bassist Reggie McBride and vocalist Sweet Pea Atkinson, Moore is a serious player, even if its his confidently smooth vocal delivery that no doubt ensnares his fans. The rich, nuanced production coaxes every ounce of intimacy out of his songs, a mix of tunes about women who got away and the impulses that keep lonely hearts out on the streets and getting in trouble. Moore's no slouch in the writing department, either: Given a switch in venue, "I'm a Hero" (written with James Ingram) could be a contemporary country hit or an American Idol encore. That's a lot to pack into one bag, but the multitalented Mr. Mo' crams it in. Mark Schwartz

All Music Guide

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