TajMo [LP]

by Keb' Mo, Taj Mahal

Overview

Keb' Mo' and Taj Mahal have been friends and colleagues for years but 2017's TajMo is the first time the pair have recorded an album. It also marks the first time Taj Mahal has entered a studio since 2008 -- Keb' Mo' last released an album in 2014 -- and if this seems like it should be a momentous occasion, what's striking about TajMo is how casual the whole affair is. The duo designed TajMo to be an upbeat, life-affirming listen, something that emphasizes how the blues can also offer a good time. If the album can occasionally seem a little too crisp and polished -- it's bright and shiny without a hint of grit -- it's also true that this reflects the lightness at the heart of TajMo. Sometimes it gets so light it's almost glib -- witness the cover of the Who's "Squeeze Box" -- but Taj Mahal and Keb' Mo' are also determined to broaden the scope of the blues, adding Soweto rhythms to "Soul," cutting a version of John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change," even making concessions to pop on the ebullient "All Around the World." Maybe it's not a major record but its mellowness is charming, and the two bluesmen play off each other like the longtime friends they are, which is an endearing thing to hear. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	05/05/2017
Label:	Concord
UPC:	0888072024656

Tracks

1. Don't Leave Me Here
2. She Knows How to Rock Me
3. All Around the World
4. That¿¿¿s Who I Am
5. Shake Me in Your Arms
6. Waiting on the World to Change
7. Ain't Nobody Talkin'
8. Diving Duck Blues
9. Squeeze Box
10. Soul
11. Om Sweet Om

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Taj Mahal   Primary Artist,Banjo,Vocals,Ukulele,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Resonator)
Keb' Mo'   Primary Artist,Slide Guitar,Bass,Organ,Vocals,Keyboards,Wurlitzer,Percussion,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Guitar (Resonator)
Lizz Wright   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Joe Walsh   Guitar (Electric)
Phil Madeira   Organ,Accordion,Keyboards
Phillip Moore   Bass
Roland Barber   Trombone
Marcus Finnie   Drums
Jeff Taylor   Accordion
Quentin Ware   Trumpet
Roger Bissell   Trombone
Keio Stroud   Drums,Keyboards
Phil Hughley   Guitar (Electric)
Eric Ramey   Bass
Thad Witherspoon   Drums
Jovan Quallo   Saxophone
Dain Ussery   Vocals (Background)
Sidney Rudder   Vocals (Background)
Keith Everette   Trumpet
Michael B. Hicks   Piano,Keyboards,Fender Rhodes
Bonnie Raitt   Vocals (Background)
Chester Thompson   Drums
Colin Linden   Guitar,Mandolin
Crystal Taliefero   Percussion
Sam Levine   Flute,Saxophone,Sax (Tenor)
Nestor Torres   Soloist
Tommy Sims   Bass

Technical Credits

John Caldwell   Engineer,Composer
Chic Street Man   Composer
Taj Mahal   Composer,Producer
Leslie Satcher   Composer
Pete Townshend   Composer
Jesse Nichols   Engineer
Melissa Wood   Package Design
Jay Blakesberg   Photography
William Sigismondi   Engineer
Alex Jarvis   Engineer
Leigh Brannon   Producer,Project Manager
Casey Wasner   Engineer
Lendell Black   Horn Arrangements
Zach Allen   Engineer
Willie Perryman   Composer
Kevin R. Moore   Composer
John Estes   Composer
Andy Shoemaker   Engineer
Mychael Davison   Engineer
Michael B. Hicks   Vocal Arrangement
Sleepy John Estes   Composer
Billy Nichols   Composer
Om Johari   Composer
Gary Nicholson   Composer
John Lewis Parker   Composer
John Mayer   Composer
Piano Red   Composer
Ross Hogarth   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Richard Dodd   Mastering
Keb' Mo'   Producer
Al Anderson   Composer