On January 21, five-time GRAMMY winner Keb’ Mo’ released his new full-length Good To Be via Rounder Records. The album debuted atop multiple Billboard Charts: #1 on the Blues Album chart, #5 on the Americana/Folk chart, and #11 on the Heatseekers Chart. Over the weekend, Mo’ spoke with Weekend Edition about the new album.
The album release was accompanied by the official video for the single “Good to Be (Home Again),” which made its broadcast premiere across CMT Music, CMT.com, and ViacomCBS Times Square billboards. The clip was filmed in Mo’s hometown of Compton, California, and features the famed Compton Cowboys. Last month, Keb’ Mo’ performed “Good To Be (Home Again)” on The Kelly Clarkson Show.
Watch The Official Video For “Good to Be (Home Again)”
"'Good To Be (Home Again)' feels like the title track to my life,” explains Kevin Moore, who is best known by his stage name Keb’ Mo’. “I'm so excited to share the experience of a day in my neighborhood with the Compton Cowboys.” Smiling, he says, “What's great about Compton is you never know when someone's going to come riding down the block on a horse."
So far, Good To Be has been praised by American Songwriter, Billboard, Wide Open Country Guitar World and many more. No Depression called it “...a collection of originals that defies genre pigeonholing,” while Folk Alley said, “Mo’’s mellifluous vocals sing directly to the deepest part of us, and his music creates an aura that wraps us in the warmth of that delivery.”
In 2021 Keb’ Mo’ released the album’s singles “Good Strong Woman” featuring Darius Rucker, “Sunny and Warm,” “The Medicine Man” featuring Old Crow Medicine Show, and a cover of Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me,” all of which appear on the album.
Good To Be was co-produced by Keb’ Mo’ alongside country music legend Vince Gill, who produced three of the album’s 13 tracks, and three-time GRAMMY winner Tom Hambridge (B.B. King, Buddy Guy). Darius Rucker, Kristin Chenoweth, and Old Crow Medicine Show all make guest appearances on the album.
The album was written between Nashville and his childhood home in Compton, which Keb’ recently purchased and renovated. He often found himself reflecting on the idea of home and contemplating what it means to belong and what it takes to stay true to yourself. “You can’t bring an attitude to Compton,” reflects Keb’. “You can’t pose. You can’t be anything but real when you’re walking down the same streets you used to ride your bike on as a kid. In a lot of ways, coming back there felt like it completed me.”
Good To Be Tracklist:
01) Good To Be (Home Again)
02) So Easy
03) Sunny and Warm
04) Good Strong Woman (feat. Darius Rucker)
05) The Medicine Man (feat. Old Crow Medicine Show)
06) Marvelous to Me
07) Lean on Me
08) Like Love
09) Dressed Up in Blue
10) ‘62 Chevy
11) Louder
12) So Good to Me
13) Quiet Moments (feat. Kristin Chenoweth)
Tour Dates:
02/02/22: Fairfield, CT - The Warehouse
02/03/22: East Greenwich, RI - Greenwich Odeum
02/04/22: Brownfield, ME - Stone Mountain Arts Center
02/05/22: Waterville, ME - Waterville Opera House
02/07/22: Princeton, NJ - McCarter Theatre
02/21/22: Various, US & Jamaica - Bonamassa Cruise
02/26/22: Orlando, FL - Plaza Live
02/28/22: Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
03/01/22: Fort Lauderdale, FL - Parker Playhouse
03/03/22: Stuart, FL - The Lyric
03/04/22: Jacksonville, FL - Florida Theatre
03/05/22: Newberry, SC - Newberry Opera House
03/25/22: Honolulu, HI - Blue Note
03/26/22: Honolulu, HI - Blue Note
03/27/22: Honolulu, HI - Blue Note
03/29/22: Seattle, WA - The Moore Theater
03/30/22: Portland, OR - Revolution Hall
03/31/22: Eugene, OR - Shedd/Jaqua Concert Hall
04/10/22: Orange, CA - Musco/Chapman University
04/13/22: Grass Valley, CA - Center For The Arts Grass Valley
04/14/22: Turlock, CA - Turlock Theatre
04/15/22: Monterey, CA - Golden State Theatre
04/16/22: Napa, CA - Uptown Theatre
04/19/22: San Luis Obispo, CA - Fremont Theatre
04/21/22: San Francisco, CA - SF Jazz
04/22/22: San Francisco, CA - SF Jazz
04/23/22: San Francisco, CA - SF Jazz
04/24/22: San Francisco, CA - SF Jazz
04/26/22: Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up
04/27/22: Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up
04/28/22: Scottsdale, AZ - Scottsdale Center For The Performing Arts
04/29/22: Tucson, AZ - Fox Tucson
07/14/22: Colorado Springs, CO - Pikes Peak Center
