Dan's Papers - October 30, 2009

Promoting the release of his latest album Live & Mo' - the first to be released on his new independent label, Yolabelle International - bluesy singer-songwriter Keb' Mo' will come to the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on Nov. 1 as part of a coast-to-coast tour. Very much rooted in the traditional blues music of the Mississippi Delta, Mo's songwriting transcends genres, embracing jazz, folk, rock and even pop music.

Live & Mo' is a mix of old favorites - six songs culled from recordings of past live performances - and four new studio recordings, including "A Brand New America, "Victims of Comfort," "Government Cheese" and "Hole in the Bucket." This album marks the break of Mo', a thrice Grammy-nominated artist, from the Epic record label, during a time when you see more and more major artists pulling away from bigger labels. The album can be purchased online at kebmo.com. Mo' recently redesigned his website's merchandise store, Mo' Stuff, to coincide with the release of his album. The online store features not only his entire discography, but also a clothing line and other items.

Mo's keeping busy in other ways, as well. He has donated an acoustic version of his song "A Brand New America" to the Census 2010 informational video produced by the NAACP. He's also lent his vocals to the video in a different way, by doing the voiceover for it.

And he's no stranger to acting. He portrayed Robert Johnson in a documentary, appeared on "Touched By an Angel" and "The West Wing," and will make an appearance on an episode of Comedy Central's "Sarah Silverman Program." He'll be joined by Roy Gaines and Finis Tasby, who both also hail from the Los Angeles blues scene.

Born in Los Angeles as Kevin Moore to parents whose roots were in the Deep South, he became involved in the local blues scene after becoming interested in blues and Gospel music at an early age. Eventually, after performing and releasing music under his own name, he adopted the stage name of Keb' Mo', introducing it to the world with a self-titled album in 1994.

Since then, Mo' has been unstoppable, releasing more than 10 albums. He received his first Grammy nomination in 1996 for Just Like You, and was nominated again with his next release, Slow Down, two years later. He was most recently nominated for 2004's Keep It Simple.

Keb' Mo' will perform at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center at 8 p.m. on Nov. 1. Tickets are $115/$95/$75. Tickets can be purchased at whbpac.org. Go to kebmo.com for more information.