KEB’ MO’ / “She Just Wants To Dance (Live)”

I remember. I believe I was in junior high school. There was a hard-working guy who lived across the street from us with his wife, no children. He went to work everyday at the same time. Came home from work, every day, same time. Didn’t get publicly drunk nor curse-out nobody even when somebody’s home run broke one of his windows. Cat was an even tempered, emotionally stable man. A good man. But he was also what some of the more fast and forward of the street-lady folk referred to as “a sucker.” I don’t have to tell you the story. The whole block knew because his wife had a moving van come when he was at work and took everything off to who-knows-where. Quoting a song that was (or had been) hot at the time, she probably took the linoleum off the floor, the salt out the shaker, and maybe even the paint off the living room walls. Like I said we, the whole neighborhood, knew what time he came home and were waiting for the final act of this timeless drama. At the appropriate hour most of us youngsters were outside pretending like we were playing touch football in the street in front his house. My man came home, went in his front door and about two minutes later came outside, looked up at the front of the house like as if to make sure he had the right house, shook his head and briefly scratched his scalp and then went back inside. And that’s all that happened that day. The wife returned some short time later and life went on. keb mo 01.jpg Keb’ Mo’ is one of them kind of mens. Although his calling is the blues, I don’t believe he has a cheating bone in his body. Listen to the lyrics of his songs. Keb’ Mo’ is singing about the trials, tribulations and raw deals that plague hard-working, high school/junior-college educated, church going, honest, upright brothers. Part of the mise-en-scene of living with these kind of cats is there’s no drama. It’s like San Diego weather: at best (worse?) you’ll get a little rain every now and then. Unfortunately, living without drama is not living to a broad sector of poor people, i.e. since they don’t have possessions they compensate with drama. One of the hardest things in the world to write about is the temperate, the even-keeled, same-old, same-old everyday over and over. My father was like that. Or at least that’s how it looked to me growing up. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize the strength and importance of what I call oak-tree strong, Louisiana men. keb mo 09.jpg Keb’ Mo’ offers us a good representation of a good-doing man. He writes insightful and even inspirational songs that not only peep the inner workings of the human heart but also amply demonstrate that what on the surface may seem as unexciting as a distant mountain, can actually be a person full of volcanic emotions—earth shattering, irrepressible. Even though volcanoes are mostly inactive, deep down inside there be a lot going on. It is not unusual to make fun of solid men, to call them square and to spend a lot of time celebrating flamboyance but, you know, even though the guys may make fun, the women understand. keb mo 16.jpg Listen to the poignancy of “Anyway” (The Door) and how my man gets so frustrated that one simple curse word pops out and has more impact than a whole hour of Lil’ Wayne. BTW, I also really, really like the harmonic changes of the song, the way the bottom chords stairstep in parallel to the melody over a rubato 3/4 rhythm. The lyrics are painful because they let us know that this is, to quote the great Robert Johnson, a sterling example of love in vain. As a poet, I can't help but notice how Keb' Mo' set up a rhyme and then didn't use it; and by not using it, he gave even greater weight to the lyric. "And I don't have / a nickel to my name / but I love you / anyway." It doesn't take a genius to hear the last couplet as "but I love you / just the same" thereby rhyming name/same. By doing it Keb' Mo's way, we get a deft awkwardness, a slight stumble that works because it directly suggests the hopelessness of the protagonist's perdicament. I usually don't go for close readings of song lyrics but this was a case I couldn't resist precisely because I'm pretty certain Keb' Mo' was painting a truly sophisticated portrait of a plain-spoken man. I believe that's one of Keb' Mo' little trademarks, using a sophisticated literary device in the service of simple-sounding words. “Momma, Where’s My Daddy” (Just Like You) is one of them country blues songs: heart-hurt man, slide-steel guitar, work-shoe stomping out the beat, a story of being emotionally maimed by fatherlessness. Another little slick move is in the middle of this song where he switches points of view and gives us the mother's voice responding to the son. Look y'all, Keb' Mo' might do country but he ain't no hick. “Gimme What You Got” (The Door) is the humorous, desperate, I’ll-take-anything side of the being-single blues. Might have called this one the lonely person breakdown. Again, I'm willing to bet the song hook of "gimme whatcha got" came from observation. No doubt Keb' Mo' witnessed someone write a number in the palm of someone else's hand, and I wouldn't be surprise if he hadn't used a cheap ballpoint pen to scribble seven digits in his own palm. You know, when you gotta have, you gotta have. “Mommy Can I Come Home” (The Door) borders on the melodramatic. Halfway through I was saying it’s a touching story but I’m not fully buying it, but then he got to the final punch line and I felt that Keb’ Mo’ really got to the deepness of the story not in terms of the runaway but rather in terms of the anguish of those left behind. The last phrase is brief. You could easily miss it but it’s a potent punch. keb mo 15.jpg “Am I Wrong” (Keb’ Mo’) is a two-fisted anthem of an honest thief—a man who takes a women who was already took and is willing (and able) to fight to keep her. It’s a morally indefensible song. The title is not a question but rather a dare: I dare anybody to tell me anything. This the kind of cat who can swing an eight-pound steel hammer all day long, with one hand! “Don’t Try To Explain” (Keb’ Mo’) is scary. You know my man is mad, pop a gasket, punch a hole in the wall mad. Got that church piano rippling through the song too. If you’ve never been caught up in one of these situations, I hope you never do get caught up giving your all to someone who loves you back real hard and then something goes terribly wrong—your partner falls unalterably in love with someone else and there you are left with nothing but pain to show for your commitments. What I like about the song is that it’s upful. It’s an anthem about carrying on. It’s not no down in the dumps, woe is me, crying in my beer kind of song. Indeed it takes a cosmic view ending with the Zen-like line: that’s the way it goes some times. If Keb’ Mo’ has a signature song, “She Just Wants To Dance” (Keb’ Mo’) is it. I’m sure a lot of men have some traces of resentment behind what happens when Keb’ Mo’ kicks into this one and women commence to jumping up dancing without a partner. “Victims Of Comfort” (Keb’ Mo’) is overtly political, taking a macro-view of the cost of the material prosperity of the United States. “The enemy is you and I.” It’s a beautiful song. “Victims of comfort / connoisseurs of pain.” keb mo 03.jpg “Prosperity Blues” (Keep It Simple) is a humorous take on the comfort victim trope. My man is unhappy cause he no longer has the blues. It’s a truly sophisticated song, wry, ironic and told with just the right amount of ambiguity. Reminds me of the kind of song Ray Charles used to do. “Anybody Seen My Girl?” (A Little Mo’) is classic oh-how-I-miss-my-baby blues. This is one lonesome song, the clean guitar picking just sort of making the deep plea stick out all that much further. Makes you feel sorry for my man. I get the impression that the lady will not return. Ever. And even if I was to see her, especially if she was with somebody else, I’m not sure I would say anything not because I don’t want to help my man but rather because it’s obvious this is one of those hopeless situations. “I Don’t Know” (Slow Down) follows and it’s a marrow-deep anthem of frustration - one of those crossroads moments where either which way seems to harbor hardships and failure. A real conundrum. “Should I stay or should I go? / I don’t know.” Another one of those life moments I wouldn’t wish on anyone but a moment that happens over and over in the history of human relationships. “Remain Silent” (Suitcase) is the last instructions to the intimate betrayer who has been found out. What I like about Keb’ Mo’ unhappy songs is that instead of striking out in anger, he examines the pain. It’s useless to condemn the person who done wrong; it’s positive and significant to help heal someone who has been hurt. “Suitcase” (Suitcase) is both truthful and a bit psychotic especially as it describes the children having little suitcases of their own. From working with young people on a daily basis, I know just how accurate “Suitcase” is. “Rainmaker” (Slow Down) is an old song that has been successfully re-done. In this case the lady’s climatic powers are seen as a blessing and, as such, is a celebration of feminine power. keb mo 10.jpg Keb’ Mo’ is the man. He is the articulator of inner flames, the black spirit lights that too often are over-looked in our search for stars. I’ve got to give thanks, give mighty thanks for these sensitive renditions, for how Keb’ Mo’ empathizes with, rather than makes fun of, what is often called salt-of-the-earth type folk. I’m from New Orleans and we like spicy food. I know spicy is not to everybody’s taste. Though we are known for all kinds of unique cuisine, from gumbo to bread pudding, coffee and chicory to pralines, all of that not withstanding, New Orleans also does basic. You don’t get more basic than red beans and rice. And sometimes, regardless of the goodness of all them other food stuffs, sometimes the taste in one’s mouth can only be satisfied by a substantial plate of simple red beans and rice. Keb’ Mo’ is a red beans and rice man. —Kalamu ya Salaam P.S. Obviously I’m biased so I’m going to ask Mtume to pick the feature song. I’m interested in which song appeals to a younger man. ;->)         Straight-up and honest        Before hearing these songs (most of which I haven't heard before) I guess I thought of Keb' Mo' as someone who'd figured out a slick way to market himself. What I mean is, I thought of him as basically being an Old School-style R&B performer who'd attached himself to the blues label in order to sell records. But listening to all of these tunes and reading Kalamu's writeup has convinced me that blues is actually the right category for most of Keb's music. Like Kalamu said though, Keb' Mo' sings the straight-up and honest, 'go to work and come home' blues. Even his cheating songs have a moral center to them. (Compare that to the record we're featuring as this week's Cover. In contast to that one, Keb' Mo' does want to be right, he does want to do the right thing.) Like I said last week, in his "normalcy," he's actually abnormal. It's cool. I dig it. keb mo 07.jpg For the feature, there's no way I can pass on "She Just Wants To Dance." At family get-togethers in New Orleans, that song is a guaranteed way to get every female in the house up out of her chair with a smile on her face and a little shimmying and shaking in her hips. It's a perfect Keb' Mo' song: a good-time tribute to a nice-looking, smooth-moving woman that doesn't have an ounce of lasciviousness or nastiness anywhere in it. My only criticism of it is it's too short. The groove is so locked-in that they could've gone ahead and rocked it for another three or four minutes. And believe me, the ladies would've been happy to keep on dancing. —Mtume ya Salaam            Ask and it shall be given            Ok, from a concert bootleg called A Little Mo' here is a longer version of "She Just Wants To Dance." And since this is not generally available, and seeing as how this version features Dr. John on the keys, I've posted the live version as the feature. Enjoy! —Kalamu ya Salaam

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 27th, 2008 at 11:58 pm and is filed under Contemporary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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