Who is Taj Mahal: True Maestro

Maestro

The mythology of American blues is filled with ima more...1 point

The mythology of American blues is filled with images of the lone musician standing at the crossroads, caught in that gray area between light and shadow, cutting impossible deals with dark forces, offering up nothing less than his soul as collateral. <p> Composer and multi-instrumentalist Taj Mahal, a two-time GRAMMY® winner and one of the most influential American blues and roots artists of the past half-century, has made no Faustian deals in his long and distinguished career, but he sta....1 point

Giant Step/De Ole Folks at Home

One of the more woefully underappreciated blues ar more...1 point

One of the more woefully underappreciated blues artists of the last three decades, Taj Mahal has consistently made great records that combine his extensive knowledge of roots music with a refreshingly non-elitist sensibility. Giant Step/De Ole Folks At Home from 1969 was Taj's commercial high point, and it's easy to understand why. The first half of the album (originally released as a two-record set) features Taj and band blending rock, pop and blues on songs like "Take a Giant Step," "Give Your...1 point

In Progress & in Motion: 1965-1998

Taj Mahal has become a blues ambassador, carrying more...1 point

Taj Mahal has become a blues ambassador, carrying the music to new audiences and melding it with other influences. It's altogether appropriate, then, that three of the early tracks on this three-CD set are unreleased from the Rolling Stones 1968 musical experiment, Rock and Roll Circus. This box emphasizes (but is not limited to) Taj's early career--the late-'60s through the mid-'70s--and whether he's playing solo acoustic instrumentals ("Buck Dancer's Choice"), revving up a rock band ("Statesbo...1 point

Taj Mahal &amp; the Phantom Blues Band in St. Lucia

Taj has been playing his own distinctive brand of more...0 points

Taj has been playing his own distinctive brand of music -- variously described as Afro-Caribbean blues, folk-world-blues, hula blues, folk-funk, and a host of other hyphenations -- for more than 40 years. Caribbean, Hawaiian, African, Latin, and Cuban sounds and rhythms mix with folk, jazz, zydeco, gospel, rock, pop, soul, and R&B, all layered on top of a solid country blues foundation.0 points

The Essential Taj Mahal

0 points

The Best of Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal's been chasing the blues around the worl more...0 points

Taj Mahal's been chasing the blues around the world for years, but rarely with the passion, energy, and clarity he brought to his first three albums. <i>Taj Mahal</i>, <i>The Natch'l Blues</i> and <i>The Real Thing</i> are the sound of the artist, who was born in 1942, defining himself and his music. On his self-titled 1967 debut, he not only honors the sound of the Delta masters with his driving National steel guitar and hard vocal shout, but ladles in elemen...0 points

The Natch'l Blues

Taj Mahal's been chasing the blues around the worl more...0 points

Taj Mahal's been chasing the blues around the world for years, but rarely with the passion, energy, and clarity he brought to his first three albums. Taj Mahal, The Natch'l Blues and The Real Thing are the sound of the artist, who was born in 1942, defining himself and his music. On his self-titled 1967 debut, he not only honors the sound of the Delta masters with his driving National steel guitar and hard vocal shout, but ladles in elements of rock and country with the help of guitarists Ry Coo...0 points

Dancing the Blues

On this 1993 album produced by John Porter, Taj Ma more...0 points

On this 1993 album produced by John Porter, Taj Mahal applies his revivalist instincts and remarkably pliable voice to the classic rhythm & blues styles of the 1940s through the '60s. The program ranges from T-Bone Walker ("Hard Way") and Howlin' Wolf ("Sitting on Top of the World") to Fats Domino ("I'm Ready"), Otis Redding ("That's How Strong My Love Is"), and the Four Tops ("I Can't Help Myself"). Etta James sings a duet on "Mockingbird," while guitarist Johnny Lee Schell, bassist Bob Glaub,...0 points

Phantom Blues

This 1996 album picks up where Dancing the Blues l more...0 points

This 1996 album picks up where Dancing the Blues left off three years earlier, with producer John Porter and most of the same studio cast. There's more of a New Orleans flavor this time, with barrelhouse pianist Jon Cleary contributing a couple of originals to go with such classics as Jesse Hill's "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" and Fats Domino's "Let the Four Winds Blow." Bonnie Raitt and a full vocal chorus help kick "I Need Your Loving" into overdrive. Mahal's one original is the tender, acoustic country-s...0 points

The Real Thing

Taj Mahal's been chasing the blues around the worl more...0 points

Taj Mahal's been chasing the blues around the world for years, but rarely with the passion, energy, and clarity he brought to his first three albums. Taj Mahal, The Natch'l Blues and The Real Thing are the sound of the artist, who was born in 1942, defining himself and his music. On his self-titled 1967 debut, he not only honors the sound of the Delta masters with his driving National steel guitar and hard vocal shout, but ladles in elements of rock and country with the help of guitarists Ry Coo...0 points

Senor Blues

0 points

Mo' Roots

On this 1974 recording, Taj Mahal ventures beyond more...0 points

On this 1974 recording, Taj Mahal ventures beyond blues and soul to explore the Caribbean side of his heritage. He sings in Spanish on "Why Did You Have to Desert Me?", translates the Anglo folk song "Blackjack Davey" to reggae, and covers the Slickers ("Johnny Too Bad") and Bob Marley ("Slave Driver"). His smoked-glass voice evokes a stormy swamp on "Cajun Waltz" and a sunny island on "Clara (St. Kitts Woman)." Rather than mimicking Third World styles, Mahal incorporates them into his own folk...0 points

Blues with a Feeling: The Very Best of Taj Mahal

Featuring 20 of his best recordings from his groun more...0 points

Featuring 20 of his best recordings from his groundbreaking Private Music albums of the early 1990s to the present, the album is an essential document of a the early 1990s to the present. BMG Heritage. 2003.0 points

Sacred Island

After decades as a bluesman, Taj Mahal has earned more...0 points

After decades as a bluesman, Taj Mahal has earned his place in the pantheon of American music. But this takes him to a slightly different place: Hawaii, where he made his home for a number of years. He's always had a relaxed approach to music, and the Islands must have been a perfect fit for him. But Mahal has also had a long interest in the music of the Caribbean, so it's interesting to hear him adapt Toots's ska classic, "Monkey Man," to his style, on the tropically flavored "Coconut Man." Wha...0 points

Hanapepe Dream

Though he earned earliest acclaim as a blues tradi more...0 points

Though he earned earliest acclaim as a blues traditionalist, Taj Mahal is no purist. Instead, he's an eclectic artist who finds common spirit with the blues in a multicultural array of styles. This album's acoustic arrangements lace the ukuleles, slack and steel guitars of Hawaii (where Taj lived for 15 years) with the airier strains of flute and saxophone and the lilt of the African kalimba. Within this follow-up to 1998's Sacred Island, the music island-hops from the Pacific to the Caribbean,...0 points