Chris DeLine

Greatly influenced by the likes of the legendary Robert Johnson (so much so that he accurately portrayed the bluesman in the 1998 documentary Can’t You Hear the Wind Howl?), Keb’ Mo’ has taken the essence of the Delta blues and created his own sound, branching it with elements of everything from pop to African traditionals. Despite his three Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Blues Album, Keb’ Mo’ isn’t so much a modern-day blues musician as a bridge between yesterday and today. That might be why Martin Scorsese tapped the singer and guitarist to work with him on his seven-part miniseries simply titled The Blues. The series predominately features Keb’ Mo’s bottleneck-happy “Am I Wrong,” in which the singer attempts to reason with his love, explaining he’ll treat her better than anyone else out there. Whether Keb’ Mo’ ever convinced that woman, or whether she ever existed, it’s a story for the ages and one that wholly exemplifies his place as a link between the old and the new. This will be Keb’ Mo’s fifth appearance at the Minnesota Zoo.

[This critics’ pick was originally published by City Pages.]