Keb’ Mo’ – The Reflection (2011)

01. The Whole Enchilada
02. Inside Outside						play
03. All The Way
04. The Reflection (I See Myself In You)
05. Crush On You
06. One Of These Nights
07. My Baby’s Tellin’ Lies
08. My Shadow
09. We Don’t Need It
10. Just Lookin’						play
11. Walk Through Fire
12. Something Within

Keb' Mo' self-produced The Reflection, and the album is his first release on his own label, Yolabelle International. 
It features guest spots from India.Arie, Vince Gill, Dave Koz, Marcus Miller, Mindi Abair, and David T. Walker.

After five years, here comes a new studio album from Keb’ Mo’, called The Reflection. Keb’ Mo’ is far and away a different artist from what we see around nowadays; he doesn’t care about hitting the mainstream, he found his peak in his forties (rather than during his teen years or twenties), and he never hides his love for live performances at small venues. He is a talented multi-instrumentalist, a true songwriter, and a great singer and performer.

When you’ll play this record for the first time, you may be astonished at its musical content: real rhythm & blues, the kind of rhythm and blues belonging to the '70s -- to Aretha Franklin, to James Brown, to Marvin Gaye, to Earth, Wind, And Fire -- created from a blending of blues, jazz, soul. It has been a long time since someone put something like this on the market, and I'm glad that Keb’ Mo’ did.

The Reflection is the perfect title for this album, as we find ourselves listening to reflections on romance and stories constructed around emotion. Each track is a lesson learned, a story Keb’ Mo’ lived through before putting it into lyrics and then shaping it with blues music. The opening tracks, "The Whole Enchilada," "Inside Outside," and "All The Way," will soon draw you into the world of '70s R&B with a funky guitar-line and some jazzy melodies. Next comes "The Reflection (I See Myself In You)," the album's title track, and that’s where the old-school blues gets to work, a wonderful instrumental intro finishing just when the vocals start. Deep lyrics carry this six-minute reflection, finishing on a blues/soul line. You don’t want to miss it as you journey through the album.

Along the way you’ll meet some more love ballads, songs talking about love and loneliness and about how love can make a fool or a king out of you. The touching lyrics may make you smile or shed a tear during songs such as "We Don’t Need It," "Walk Through Fire," and "Something Within," which discuss deeper love than infatuation, such as the joy of being a father or faith in god -- things that Keb’ Mo’ learned and wants to share with us on this new album.

This singer even got to share the recording studio with a couple of country stars -- Vince Gill co-wrote "My Baby’s Telling Me Lies" and India.Arie is featured with Keb' Mo' on "Crush On You," an emotional journey that feels like a precious gift to his fans. Throughout the album, Keb’ Mo’ shows he’s a real master at speaking his heart and blending rhythm and blues, soul, and other genres more skillfully than most other artists. If you hear only one old-timey R&B album this year, make it Keb' Mo's The Reflection. --- thetunemusic.com

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