Oklahoma

Keb\' Mo’ has never been a strict constructionist about the blues. If anything, the idea that he’s a blues singer at all seems more vestigial with every album, the kind of tag that got hung early and will probably stick no matter what he does. Like a lot of his 2000s and 2010s work, the Grammy-winning *Oklahoma* constructs a Venn diagram covering a range of vernacular American stuff—folk, soul, featherlight adult pop, whatever—without establishing an allegiance to any of them. “Oklahoma” is, title aside, mostly Tejano; “Don’t Throw It Away” is mostly New Orleans; “The Way I” could just as well go to a contemporary soul or country singer looking for a place to park their tears. Not that an artist like Keb’ Mo’ shows his stylistic seams—as with most of his albums, the artistry of *Oklahoma* lies in part in how much he manages to throw into the pot while keeping the end result utterly smooth. Preservationist? He’s a synthesizer.

Keb' Mo' named his 2019 album Oklahoma after the home state of Dara Tucker, the songwriter who co-wrote the title song with the veteran blues troubadour.