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- Date Released: September 30, 2008
- Genre: Blues
- Style: Contemporary Blues
- Label: Heads Up / Telarc
Taj Mahal never changes — he just keeps improving
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We Say...
You could say that 2008 was a good year for black Hawaiians. Unlike that guy headed off to D.C., this 66-year-old bluesman does not have change on his agenda. But though Taj's days as an innovator may be behind him — he's not above revisiting songs he's already put his stamp on — his pan-African take on the blues is still ahead of its time. Proof: the way "Zanzibar" integrates Angelique Kidjo and Toumani Diabate seamlessly into Taj's aesthetic. The disc is chock full of cameos, but the maestro knows which guests to expect the unexpected from (he turns to Los Lobos for a reggae beat on "Never Let You Go") and who should stick to their own thing (fellow Aloha Stater Jack Johnson ambles amiably alongside him on "Further On Down the Road.") As masterly as all this is, the real charm is heard in the small details, such as the lascivious spoken aside "You gonna get you a new house and a vacation in the Car-ri-be-an!" on the opener "Scratch My Back."
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They Say...
The list of special guests who appear on Taj Mahal's Maestro is hardly what one would expect from a veteran bluesman. Among the special guests are Ziggy Marley, Los Lobos, Ben Harper, and African pop vocalist Angélique Kidjo -- not exactly a conventional blues lineup. But then, Mahal is hardly a conventional blues artist. He has been providing eclectic, far-reaching albums for a long time, and that spirit of adventure is alive and well on this 2008 release (which marks his 40th year as a recording artist -- Mahal provided his first album in 1968). No one expects Mahal's albums to be the work of a blues purist; in fact, Mahal (who plays guitar, harmonica, banjo, and ukulele on Maestro) is the opposite of a blues purist. While Maestro has its share of electric blues, the veteran singer also gets into everything from soul ("Further on Down the Road") and early R&B (Fats Domino's "Hello Josephine") to reggae ("Black Man, Brown Man," "Never Let You Go") and African pop ("Zanzibar"). The latter features Kidjo on lead vocals and Toumani Diabaté on the kora (a traditional African instrument), while Los Lobos appear on "Never Let You Go" and the humorous "TV Mama" (which is among the disc's straight-ahead blues offerings). Mahal, true to form, is all over the place stylistically on this 57-minute CD -- and yet, Maestro never sounds the least bit unfocused. Being eclectic comes naturally to Mahal, who sees to it that Maestro is a consistently engaging celebration of his 40th year as a recording artist.
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| 01. |  |
Scratch My Back |
4:20 |
|
| 02. | |
Never Let You Go |
4:43 |
|
| 03. | |
Dust Me Down |
3:28 |
|
| 04. | |
Further On Down The Road |
4:47 |
|
| 05. | |
Black Man, Brown Man |
3:52 |
|
| 06. | |
Zanzibar |
5:52 |
|
| 07. | |
TV Mama |
3:43 |
|
| 08. | |
I Can Make You Happy |
4:59 |
|
| 09. | |
Slow Drag |
6:33 |
|
| 10. | |
Hello Josephine |
4:48 |
|
| 11. | |
Strong Man Holler |
5:49 |
|
| 12. | |
Diddy Wah Diddy |
4:36 |
|
12 Total Tracks, 57:30 Total Length
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Credits
- Billy Branch - Harmonica // Taj Mahal - Banjo // Taj Mahal - Banjo // Taj Mahal - Guitar // Taj Mahal - Guitar // Taj Mahal - Harmonica // Taj Mahal - Harmonica // Taj Mahal - Ukulele // Taj Mahal - Ukulele // Taj Mahal - Vocals // Taj Mahal - Vocals // Taj Mahal - Producer // Taj Mahal - Producer // Ivan Neville - Organ (Hammond) // Warren Haynes - Producer // Steve Berlin - Organ // Steve Berlin - Sax (Baritone) // Steve Berlin - Sax (Tenor) // Tony Braunagel - Drums // Rudy Costa - Sax (Alto) // Carlton "Santa" Davis - Drums // Debra Dobkin - Percussion // Jean Hébrail - Vocal Producer // David Hidalgo - Guitar // George Horn - Mastering // Michael Hyde - Keyboards // Michael Jerome - Percussion // Michael Jerome - Drums // Danny Kalb - Engineer // Angélique Kidjo - Vocals // Angélique Kidjo - Vocals // Angélique Kidjo - Guest Appearance // Angélique Kidjo - Guest Appearance // Darrell Leonard - Trumpet // Darrell Leonard - Trombonium // Conrad Lozano - Bass // Deva Mahal - Vocals (Background) // Ziggy Marley - Vocals // Ziggy Marley - Guest Appearance // Joe McGrath - Engineer // Joe McGrath - Mixing // Leo Nocentelli - Guitar // Pebbles Phillips - Vocals (Background) // George Porter, Jr. - Bass // George Porter, Jr. - Bass // Cesar Rosas - Guitar // Johnny Lee Schell - Guitar // Johnny Lee Schell - Producer // Johnny Lee Schell - Engineer // Kester Smith - Percussion // Kester Smith - Drums // Joe Sublett - Sax (Baritone) // Joe Sublett - Sax (Tenor) // Mick Weaver - Keyboards // Mick Weaver - Organ (Hammond) // Jason Yates - Keyboards // Bill Rich - Bass // C.C. White - Vocals (Background) // Toumani Diabaté - Kora // Toumani Diabaté - Kora // Toumani Diabaté - Kora // Larry Fulcher - Bass // Robert Carranza - Vocal Recording // Louie Pérez - Jarana // Jay Blakesberg - Photography // Baron Wolman - Photography // Marc Moreau - Engineer // Gordie Johnson - Producer // Gordie Johnson - Engineer // Cougar Estrada - Drums // Takeshi Akimoto - Guitar // Mark Johnson - Engineer // Jesse Ingalls - Bass // Jason Mozersky - Guitar // Tracy Hazzard - Vocals (Background) // Michael Crook - Photography
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