South-Central bluesman Keb’ Mo’ (Kevin Moore) knocked around the LA bar scene for years, backing veterans like violinst Papa John Creach and sax player Monk Higgins, before turning to the city’s theater circuit. Rainmaker is a collection of folk-tinged R&B and reggae originals, one of which (“Has Anybody Seen My Girl”) he reprised upon returning to the record racks fourteen years later.
Comparisions to Taj Mahal are obvious as Moore’s Delta-tinged licks (on electric and steel guitars) and lazy baritone recall the bluesman in his heyday. All but two Robert Johnson songs (“Come in My Kitchen” and “Kindhearted Woman Blues”) on Keb’ Mo’ are originals; his material ranges from folk-twisted blues and soul to more straightforward rural traditionalism. Moore’s approach adds an original, progressive element to the Delta legacy.