In the Closet With the Blues

"I only listen to old stuff," he continues. "I'm gonna listen to some old Muddy Waters; I'm gonna listen to something that has some richness. I'm gonna listen to some Robert Johnson, some Howlin' Wolf, you know? I'm gonna listen to some shit, you know what I mean? The real deal. I wouldn't put on myself to listen to blues. I know that's what Corey [Harris] or Alvin [Hart] would do, too."

Why the back-to-basics turnaround? If nothing else, advancing age may have convinced Moore to stick to what he knows and does best.

"What the fuck else am I gonna do?" he asks. "I'm a 50-year-old black man. I ain't gonna be no pretty boy."

KEB' MO' PERFORMS AT THE CERRITOS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, 12700 CENTER COURT DR., CERRITOS, (800) 300-4345 OR (562) 916-8500. WED., 8 P.M. $30-$40. ALL AGES.