Audio CD review:
Taj Mahal - An Evening of Acoustic Music

Taj Mahal - An Evening of Acoustic Music

Band: Taj Mahal Title: An Evening of Acoustic Music Rating: Release Date: 1997-11-11 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Stagger Lee - Taj Mahal, Price, Lloyd 2: Dust My Broom - Taj Mahal, James, Elmore 3: Take This Hammer - Taj Mahal, Mahal, Taj 4: Blues With a Feeling - Taj Mahal, Little Walter 5: Big Legged Mamas Are Back in Style - Taj Mahal, Mahal, Taj 6: Crossing - Taj Mahal, Mahal, Taj 7: Come on in My Kitchen - Taj Mahal, Johnson, Robert [01 8: Candy Man - Taj Mahal, Davis, Gary [1] 9: Satisfied & Tickled Too - Taj Mahal, 10: Sitting on Top of the World - Taj Mahal, Chatmon, Lonnie 11: Cakewalk into Town - Taj Mahal, Mahal, Taj 12: Ain't Gwine to Whistle Dixie Anymo' - Taj Mahal, Blackwell, Chuck [D 13: Big Kneed Gal - Taj Mahal, Mahal, Taj 14: Texas Woman Blues - Taj Mahal, Mahal, Taj 15: Tom & Sally Drake - Taj Mahal, Mahal, Taj

Best Blues If you like blues guitar, this is the cd to have, and the playing meshes perfectly with his near perfect vocal interpretations. Blues on steroids. He had a good night, probably the best of his career. . Magnificent! It's absolutely awesome. I haven't heard everything Taj Mahal has recorded, but I've heard a lot of it, and this is the best CD of his I know of BY FAR. The electric guitar sound he gets here just blows you away. His version of STAGGER LEE is a direct throwback to Mississippi John Hurt and it is stunning. DUST MY BROOM is as good as any of the many versions Elmore James recorded of his famous song. COME ON IN MY KITCHEN is haunting and brilliant, in a different way, as Robert Johnson's original version. No matter how many times you listen to this music it continues to give pleasure. If you love the blues, this is a must-have CD. Great Stuff Here I have enjoyed this album alot and it is a great live recording, definitely worth your purchase. From the heartfelt Crossing and Come on in my Kitchen to Big Leg Mama, this album traverses alot of emotions and really packs a great blues punch. Taj mahal is an extremely versatile and talented artist and this live recording strongly reflects both of those characteristics. Puts You In The Mood I've never seen Taj, but would love too, this CD is why. At first listen, the guitar can be a little annoying, but once you get into the mood of the CD, it's phenomenal. I find one of the most enjoyable ways to listen to is on a clear night with your window open while you drift off to sleep. At the point the songs take an aural quality that is hard to desrcibe--just great though!. Well, Semi Acoustic, Anyway... Taj plays an electric piano on a couple of cuts (which is fine) and his guitar sounds like it's miked through an amp with the "chorus" effect turned up to 11 (which I could have done without). The "Acoustic" in the title is a bit of a misnomer. Some reviewers have panned the songs where he's accompanied by Howard Johnson (not the hotel guy) on tuba, calling them "sloppy", however, in my opinion, these are the highlight of the CD. In particular, "Cake Walk Into Town" stands out- This is a song that should be prescribed for people that are chronically depressed, as it never fails to put a smile on my face. The CD lags a bit on "Ain't Gwine Whistle Dixie Anymo" (live or in the studio, this is a song that is always an endurance test to me to see if I can get through it) and the part where he coaches the audience on clapping in time, which I've never heard any audience do. This is one of those things that are much more fun in person that hearing on a CD, and could have been left off. I also urge all fans of Taj and Ry Cooder to check out Austin, TX group "Bad Livers", especially "Hogs on the Highway" - Banjo & Tuba at it's finest!. You can see a complete list of all Taj Mahal discography, or go back to the Taj Mahal tabs