
Keb' Mo' "Peace... Back By Popular Demand" new album is out. "My Intention for this record is to be meaningful and relevant to what I am feeling in our own time," says Keb' Mo'. "It started out as a collection of protest songs, but it evolved into an album about peace and freedom."
The Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and guitarist is talking about his new album "Peace...Back by Popular Demand" released September 21, 2004 on OKeh/Epic Records. His seven previous albums have made Keb' Mo' one of the most popular writer/performers on the contemporary blues scene. But with this new collection, the artist formerly known as Kevin Moore takes a new creative turn: He interprets nine classic songs of social conscience from the Sixties and Seventies, and adds one stirring new composition of his own.
As one who came of age in the American Sixties, Keb' Mo' lived through the tumultuous and tragic events of that period. His life and consciousness were shaped by the British Invasion and the soul music explosion; by the assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy, of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.; by the military draft and the peace movement.
In interpreting some of the popular songs that stirred the nation and the world in the years 1964-1976, "Peace... Back by Popular Demand" speaks to the challenges and opportunities we face today. It is a conceptually unified work designed to raise awareness among listeners of all backgrounds.
"I believe that people on both the Left and the Right have more in common than we have differences," says Keb' Mo'. "We have way more reasons to come together than we have to split apart&I think people the world over want pretty much the same things."
In playing order, here are the songs of "Peace...Back by Popular Demand" and the original artists:
1. "For What It's Worth" (Buffalo Springfield)
2. "Wake Up Everybody" (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes with Teddy Pendergrass)
3. "People Got to Be Free" (The Rascals)
4. "Talk" (new song by Keb' Mo')
5. "What's Happening, Brother" (Marvin Gaye)
6. "The Times They Are A-Changing" (Bob Dylan)
7. "Get Together" (The Youngbloods)
8. "Someday We'll All Be Free" (Donny Hathaway)
9. "(What's So Funny About) Peace, Love, and Understanding" (Elvis Costello & the Attractions)
10. "Imagine" (John Lennon)
All tracks are produced by Keb' Mo' and were recorded in just one month in Los Angeles. The artist plays electric and acoustic guitars, dobro, and mandolin; keyboards player Jeff Paris and bassist Reggie McBride are both mainstays of the Keb' Mo' touring band. Also on board are such veteran session players as Paulinho Da Costa (percussion), Paul Jackson Jr. (electric guitar), Harvey Mason (drums), and Greg Phillinganes (organ).
Here is an album intended to inspire its listeners to reconnect with their common humanity-and to take action from that place. In a world wracked by tension and violence, "Peace...Back by Popular Demand" offers a positive message of hope to all.
"If my music can cast even a shadow of peace and understanding on humanity," says Keb' Mo', "well...that will be pretty cool!".
Keb' Mo' "Peace... Back By Popular Demand" CD: ORDER IT NOW.