TAJ MAHAL
Sony Legacy Music
Taj Mahal has been around the blues music scene for a pretty long time. His music has bridged the gap between the delta blues elder statesmen and today’s modern blues and jazz rhythms. Sony Legacy Music has now offered music fans an opportunity to appreciate and enjoy four of Taj Mahal’s original recordings in an improved format. All four recordings have been reissued, expanded, and enhanced to provide insightful liner notes, vintage blues photographs, and digitally remastered sound.
It is evident that many different types of music have influenced Taj Mahal, ranging from jazz to delta blues. The self titled "Taj Mahal", originally issued in 1967, features a quality selection of blues covers with various altered arrangements, including the familiar "Statesboro Blues" later made famous by the Allman Brothers Band, and a more up-tempo shuffle version of Robert Johnson’s classic "Dust My Broom". In describing the approach to recording versions in this manner, Taj himself says it best: "Now I could play this tune just exactly like Robert Johnson, but what would be the point of that?" Other selections like "Checkin’ Up On My Baby" and "E Z Rider" are driving blues tracks that would provide a solid blueprint for any bar band interested in paying due respect to blues music.
Taj Mahal’s 1968’s "Natch’l Blues" features predominately acoustic recordings of Taj Mahal originals, including the familiar "Corinna". Taj’s harmonica and steel-body guitar playing provides the main foundation of sound throughout this effort. The bonus track "Ain’t That A Lot Of Love" mirrors the classic tune "Gimme Some Lovin’" about as close as you can get without the sampling trick of today’s artists. "Natch’l Blues" also features other styles of Taj Mahal’s music, like the slow ballad "You Don’t Miss Your Water" or the uptempo instrumental track "Things Are Gonna Work Out Fine".
"The Real Thing" features over 66 minutes of music from Taj Mahal recorded live at Billy Graham’s Fillmore East in 1971. This effort displayed the widest variety of Taj Mahal’s influences, from the blues/rock version of Sleepy John Estes "Divin’ Duck Blues" to the tuba and banjo driven "Tom and Sally Drake".
"The Best of" is a 17-track compilation of Taj Mahal’s strongest and most familiar material. Originally released in 1971, this collection includes contributions from all three of these re-releases in addition to cuts from a half dozen other Taj Mahal studio efforts. Included again are "Statesboro Blues", "Corinna", and "Chevrolet", which had recently been covered by Robben Ford.
It’s a shame that Taj Mahal’s musical appeal has not reached more universal heights than that of just blues music fans. His music possesses a timeless quality that sounds like classic blues even by today’s standards. In all of these releases, Taj Mahal has translated essential blues recordings into his own individual story that can now be shared with all blues music fans.
Taj Majal **** 1/2
The Real Thing *** 1/2
Natch’l Blues ****
The Best of Taj Mahal ****
- Don Sikorski