Keb’ Mo’ stole the show in the sixth edition of the Mahindra Blues Festival.
Mehboob Studio tinkled with lights and sound anew on February 13-14. The sixth edition of the Mahindra Blues Festival carried the scent of Tennessee whiskey, carefree guitar licks and suave musicians from the West.
Soulmate, the popular Indian blues rock outfit and a regular at the festival, raised the curtains at the SoulStrat stage — the name being a blend of the Shillong group and Mumbai-based Blackstratblues. After opening the carnival with I’ve Got My Mojo Working and Lazy Sunday, they cemented the stage for Heritage Blues Orchestra.
The father-daughter duo of Bill Sims Jr and Chaney Sims — with a trumpet quartet and Vincent Bucher (the harmonica maverick) — presented the African-American palate before Keb’ Mo’ took over.
The 64-year-old three-time Grammy winner stood out from the rest with his clean yet rogue, crunchy and blithe sound. Mo’ is one of the pundits of the blues that travelled up the Mississippi River. He did not stick to the blues template, borrowing instead, from gospel, pop and jazz. Out of the set-list, Life Is Beautiful and Just Like You scored high with the listeners.
The clock flashed 11.30 pm but Mo’ could not retire that soon. Even after concluding, he had to return for an encore. He also paid tribute to the legendary Robert Johnson, belting out Love in Vain following a request from the crowd for an ode to the blues legend; special mention for Mike Hicks on the keyboard – clearly the backbone of the sound.
Lal And The People, the winner of the Mahindra Blues Band Hunt, charmed the crowd in the garden. The festival concluded with King King (a group from Glasgow), Malina Moye and Joss Stone.
Moye’s appearance turned more heads than her take on the genre, which swung between rock and R&B. After Joss Stone finished with Boat Yard and other hits, the entire two-day ensemble united for the ‘All Star Jam’.
The yesteryears came alive, BB King and Guitar Slim probably smiled down from heaven and repeated what Mo’ said: “Hello my friend, it’s been a while, all our old clothes are back in style”.
