Q&A with Keb’ Mo’

Keb’ Mo’ has had quite the career. The Grammy-winning contemporary blues artist has logged 20 years on the road and in the studio. During that time, he has collaborated with everyone from B.B. King to Jackson Browne. His newest album, BLUESAmericana, is his 11th release as a solo artist and is out this week. Baton Rouge fans will be in for a special treat as Keb’ Mo’ will perform at The Varsity Tuesday. Doors open at 7 p.m. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $35. Get more information at varsitytheatre.com.

Last week, I caught up with him to discuss the album, his interpretation of the blues and having staying power in a fickle music industry.

It wasn’t until later in life that you really got a foothold in the blues. What was it about the blues compared to other types of music that made you feel at home?
Keb’ Mo’: The Blues started to resonate more with me because I felt it was most needed with what I was trying to do. Having a background playing other types of music earlier in my career, it was something that I kept coming back to with everything that I was involved in. It just kept falling into place when I was trying to find my own direction. It was the piece that made it all make sense.

On your most recent album, it seems like you managed to keep your feet firmly set in the blues while also exploring a lot of other types of American roots music. What does the term BLUESAmericana mean to you?
Mo’: I have a huge respect for Americana music. One reason is that even through changing times and trends, Americana is a constant. There are so many elements to what makes it up that it really blurs the lines of different genres, which resonates with me and what I’m trying to do. The broadness of influences in the genre helps you to not feel pressure during the creative process to do any one specific thing, and that can be a very freeing experience when writing.

I noticed you are involved in the Mavis Staples tribute concert happening in Chicago later this month. You are celebrating 20 years as a solo performer this year. Have you tried to model your career after artists like Mavis and Taj Mahal, and do you think their ability to genre jump has increased their ability to stay relevant and find bigger audiences over a long period of time?
Mo’: Most definitely, I would try to follow their example, I have the utmost respect for Mavis and Taj because they can’t be confined to any one label, and that’s what makes them true artists. Mavis is just, she’s just it. When you see her you move to the side, you want to make sure you don’t get in her way, because she’s the best. From gospel to R&B, blues and soul, everything, it’s all in there and you can’t pick out any one without taking the rest with it. I think that’s why they continue to connect with people as the years pass, because they are so comfortable with themselves and what they do.

With the vast majority of popular music these days being electronically and digitally produced, do you see any lasting influence from the blues or any other more primitive forms of American music on today’s culture?
Mo’: Most people would say there is no relationship there because the links aren’t obvious, but yes, I think there is a very real connection. Through generations, the further out from it we get the less it may sound like it. But if you go back through the years, step-by-step, you can see how we got from there to here. For me, I like to experiment and I’ll get pretty far out sometimes, but I always check back in, you know? Put on a Big Joe Williams record, and remember what it’s all about. You gotta go back man.

Hear a preview of BLUESAmericana below: