''The Door'' is a studio album by Delta blues artist

Keb' Mo' Kevin Roosevelt Moore (born October 3, 1951), known as Keb' Mo', is an American blues musician and five-time Grammy Award winner. He is a singer, guitarist, and songwriter, living in Nashville, Tennessee. He has been described as "a living link ...

, released in 2000. The album peaked at No. 122 on the ''Billboard'' 200. It was nominated for a Grammy, for "Best Contemporary Blues Album".

Production

Co-produced by

Russ Titelman Russ Titelman (born August 16, 1944, Los Angeles, California) is an American record producer and songwriter. He has to date won three Grammy Awards. He earned his first producing the Steve Winwood song " Higher Love", and his second and third f ...

, the album employed many well-known

session musicians Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a t ...

Critical reception

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' wrote that "even when he updates the Elmore James classic 'It Hurts Me Too' with an arrangement that weds a funk beat to a wash of electronics, Mo' makes the transition from analog to digital age seem smooth, if not exactly welcome." The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'' thought that the "acoustic, adult-contemporary blues style becomes more sophisticated with every album." '' OC Weekly'' deemed the album "a disappointment," calling it "more James Taylor than Skip James." '' The Record'' wrote that "this Los Angeles musician's urban folk-blues stew remains disarmingly soothing."

Track listing

All songs written by Kevin Moore (

) unless otherwise noted. # "The Door" (Moore,

Leon Ware Leon Ware (February 16, 1940 – February 23, 2017) was an American songwriter, producer, composer, and singer. Besides a solo career as a performer, Ware was best known for producing hits for other artists including Michael Jackson, Quincy ...

) # "Loola Loo" (Moore,

Bobby McFerrin Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American folk and jazz singer. He is known for his vocal techniques, such as singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rap ...

) # "

It Hurts Me Too "It Hurts Me Too" is a blues standard that is "one of the most interpreted blues ongs. First recorded in 1940 by American blues musician Tampa Red, the song is a mid-tempo eight-bar blues that features slide guitar. It borrows from earlier blue ...

" (

Mel London Mel London (April 9, 1932 – May 16, 1975) was an American songwriter, record producer, and record label owner. He was active in the Chicago blues and R&B scenes in the 1950s and 1960s. London is best known for his compositions for Chicago ...

) # "Come on Back" # "Stand Up (And Be Strong)" (Moore, Clayton Gibb) # "Anyway" # "Don't You Know" # "It's All Coming Back" (Moore, John Lewis Parker) # "Gimme What You Got" (Moore, Kevin McCormick) # "Mommy Can I Come Home" (Moore,

Melissa Manchester Melissa Manchester (born February 15, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Since the 1970s, her songs have been carried by adult contemporary radio stations. She has also appeared on television, in films, and on stage. Early l ...

) # "Change" # "The Beginning" (Moore, Bobby McFerrin)

Personnel

* Keb' Mo' - guitars, banjo, harmonica, vocals *

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America". Howard Sounes. ''Dow ...

, Steve Jordan - drums * Sergio Gonzalez - percussion, drums *

Reggie McBride Reggie McBride (born September 17, 1954) is an American bass player. Biography McBride was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, United States; listening to Motown records, he began to play bass at the age of 8. At the age of 14, he played in ...

- bass *

Scarlet Rivera Donna Shea, better known as Scarlet Rivera is an American violinist. She is best known for her work with Bob Dylan, in particular on his 1976 album '' Desire'' and as part of the Rolling Thunder Revue. Career Bob Dylan is said to have discove ...

- violin *

Greg Leisz Gregory Brian Leisz ( ; born September 18, 1949) is an American musician. He is a songwriter, recording artist, and producer. He plays guitar, dobro, mandolin, lap steel and pedal steel guitar. Biography Leisz grew up in the garage band cultu ...

- pedal steel guitar *

Greg Phillinganes Gregory Arthur Phillinganes (born May 12, 1956) is an American keyboardist, singer-songwriter, and musical director based in Los Angeles, California. A prolific session musician, Phillinganes has contributed the role of keyboards to numerous alb ...

- synthesizer, pedal steel guitar, keyboards * David Mann, Lawrence Feldman - saxophones * Thomas Tally - viola * Gerri Sutyak - cello *

, Dennis Collins, Marva Hicks - backing vocals

References

2000 albums Keb' Mo' albums Albums produced by Russ Titelman Epic Records albums {{Blues-album-stub