Taj Mahal & The Phantom Blues Band - Time

Album: Time
Size: 91,7 MB
Time: 39:43
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2026
Styles: Blues/Soul/Roots/Reggae mix
Art: Front

1. Life Of Love (3:36)
2. Wild About My Lovin' (5:44)
3. Crazy About A Jukebox (4:01)
4. Time (3:41)
5. You Put The Whammy On Me (3:18)
6. Talkin' Blues (4:36)
7. Sweet Lorene (2:59)
8. Ask Me 'Bout Nothing (But The Blues) (4:08)
9. It's Your Voodoo Working (3:15)
10. Rowdy Blues (4:20)

When five-time Grammy-winner Taj Mahal intersects with The Phantom Blues Band, it’s one of those rare joints that hits you before you even know you’ve been hit. They walk in, plug in, and the whole room shifts. Studio assassins, road lifers, groove keepers and somehow still hungry. Mahal’s fearless, open-hearted spirit still shadows the whole thing with that genre-hopping joy. He leads you down the road with a history lesson and the Phantoms carry it with honor to the Griot.

Mahal sings and plays harp as he fronts an all-star lineup of legendary musicians with the three ringleaders for the Phantoms — guitarist Johnny Lee Schell, the soulful gunslinger with tone for days; drummer Tony Braunagel, who keeps the whole ship steered straight and on time, every time; and Larry Fulcher, the anchor, the heartbeat, the quiet storm on bass. Joining them are Jon Cleary, with that unmistakable New Orleans piano swagger; organist Mick Weaver, a session master whose playing slides in with an undeniable velvet magic; and in the horn section, Joe Sublett on sax and Les Lovitt on trumpet, who bring the orchestration into the full view of this genre.

But make no mistake: Despite the billing, this band doesn’t ‘back’ anybody. They lift you up, carry you and dare you to rise higher. On this record they slide through blues, soul, R&B, and island color with the ease of men who’ve lived every bit of it. This is deep-groove, grown-folks music from a band that still plays like the night is young. Time celebrates over 30 years of making uplifting, inspiring and aspiring music together. /Darryl Sterdan, Tinnitist

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Taj Mahal & Keb' Mo' - Room On The Porch

Album: Room On The Porch
Size: 101,4 MB
Time: 43:48
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2025
Styles: Roots/Blues
Art: Front

1. Room On The Porch (Feat. Ruby Amanfu) (4:05)
2. My Darling My Dear (3:58)
3. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out (3:42)
4. She Keeps Me Movin’ (4:01)
5. Make Up Your Mind (4:40)
6. Thicker Than Mud (4:38)
7. Junkyard Dog (4:20)
8. Blues’ll Give You Back Your Soul (4:47)
9. Better Than Ever (Feat. Wendy Moten) (5:03)
10. Rough Time Blues (4:30)

It’s been nearly a decade since Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ teamed up for their collaborative debut TajMo. But even though the album was a runaway success - it won a Grammy, garnered rave reviews, and spawned a massive joint tour of the U.S. and Europe - neither artist ever expected to record a follow up. “That first album turned out so great that part of me wondered if maybe we just got lucky,” Keb’ says with a laugh. “I always figured it was a one-time thing. But when we got back into the studio together, I felt that same magic again, and I realized it wasn’t luck at all.”

Recorded in Nashville with Keb’ and Taj co-producing, Room On The Porch finds the pair in peak form, playing to each other’s strengths and opening up new creative horizons more than a half-century into their storied careers. The songs are warm and inviting here, rooted in the joy of human connection and the power of positivity, and the performances are as timeless as they are adventurous, incorporating the full spectrum of American roots music from blues and jazz to folk and country.

Keb’ and Taj invited an all-star group of players, singers, and co-writers (including their sons) to join them in the studio for the sessions, but the spotlight remains firmly fixed on the legendary pair throughout the collection, their instantly recognizable voices and guitar stylings complementing and elevating each other at every turn. The result is a delightful, big-hearted work that manages to feel both classic and current all at once, an album rooted in deep tradition delivered by two icons with a boundless appetite for growth, reinvention, and discovery. /Darryl Sterdan

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Taj Mahal Sextet - Swingin' Live At The Church In Tulsa

Album: Swingin' Live At The Church In Tulsa
Size: 133,7 MB
Time: 58:05
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2024
Styles: Blues/Roots
Art: Front

1. Betty And Dupree (7:42)
2. Mailbox Blues (4:05)
3. Queen Bee (6:03)
4. Lovin' In My Baby's Eyes (3:55)
5. Waiting For My Papa To Come Home (3:49)
6. Slow Drag (5:43)
7. Sitting On Top Of The World (5:48)
8. Twilight In Hawaii (5:58)
9. Corrina (5:10)
10. Mean Old World (9:47)

In his introduction to the opening song on this live album, Taj Mahal urges his audience to gather ‘round him. His words stretch out, wrapping his listeners into a warm embrace and inviting them into a community that celebrates his music with him. Recorded at Leon Russell’s former studio and office for his label Shelter Records, Swingin’ Live at the Church in Tulsa traverses the many musical styles which Taj Mahal inhabits — from blues and folk to Cajun and Hawaiian slack-key — and makes his own with instrumental and vocal flourishes. Along with Mahal playing everything from guitar and ukulele to banjo and piano, his Swingin’ Sextet includes his long-time bassist Bill Rich, drummer Kester Smith, and guitarist and Hawaiian lap steel player Bobby Ingano, as well as special guests guitarist and vocalist Trey Hensley and dobro player Rob Ickes.

The album opens with the slowly striding blues ballad “Betty and Dupree,” a song written by Chuck Willis that tells the tale of Frank Dupree, whose love for Betty drives him to rob a jewelry store and, in the process, kill a security guard; he receives the death penalty by hanging for his crimes. “Mailbox Blues” is a jumping country blues that features Ingano’s searing lead riffs on the instrumental bridge. The reggae-inflected “Queen Bee” opens with crisp guitar notes before taking off into a loping celebration of the sweetness of Mahal’s “queen bee” that’s punctuated by Ickes’ soaring dobro licks.

On the moving “Lovin’ in My Baby’s Eyes” — which sonically resembles Clarence Carter’s “Patches” — Hensley’s soulful baritone plays call and response to Mahal’s gruffer vocals, creating an affectionate tribute to love. The spacious instrumental “Waiting for My Papa to Come Home,” with its unfurling lap steel leading the thematic way, recalls Ry Cooder, while the languorous instrumental “Twilight in Hawaii” floats along a glittering symphony of Hawaiian slack key guitar and Hawaiian lap steel. The album closes with Mahal and his band’s electrifying take on the blues classic “Mean Old World.”

Swingin’ Live at the Church in Tulsa celebrates Taj Mahal’s enduring artistry, inviting us into the audience of this memorable live performance. /Henry Carrigan, Folk Alley

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Taj Mahal - Like Never Before

Size: 110.3 MB
Time: 47:19
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1991
Styles: Blues, Soul, Funk
Art: Full

01. Don't Call Us (4:21)
02. River Of Love (4:08)
03. Scattered (5:42)
04. Ev'ry Wind (In The River) (4:53)
05. Blues With A Feeling (3:55)
06. Squat That Rabbit (4:41)
07. Take All The Time You Need (4:22)
08. Love Up (3:09)
09. Cakewalk Into Town (3:01)
10. Big Legged Mommas Are Back In Style (4:21)
11. Take A Giant Step (4:40)

Like Never Before followed a host of alternative lifestyle projects, specifically albums for children but this project returned the man to his roots with an assortment of styles attached to a mixture of covers and originals such as Jimmy Scott’s River of Love and Goggin and King’s Take a Giant Step. Mahal’s own work is studied, quite fragile but retains a dry wit.

Like Never Before MP3
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Taj Mahal - Savoy

Album: Savoy
Size: 135,4 MB
Time: 58:36
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2023
Styles: Swing/Jazz
Art: Front

1. Stompin' At The Savoy (3:43)
2. I'm Just A Lucky So And So (3:23)
3. Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You (3:51)
4. Summer Time (2:48)
5. Mood Indigo (4:08)
6. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby (4:36)
7. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me (5:05)
8. Sweet Georgia Brown (3:18)
9. Baby It's Cold Outside (4:31)
10. Lady Be Good (3:52)
11. Baby Won't You Please Come Home (3:25)
12. Caldonia (3:32)
13. Killer Joe (4:09)
14. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) (8:08)

Taj Mahal can rightfully be called a living legend for his contributions to popular music. With a voice as instantly recognizable as Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, or Johnny Cash, throughout his career Taj has pushed the envelope of American roots music forward by incorporating sounds from the Caribbean, Africa, traditional blues and jazz.

With Savoy, Taj takes a new direction in his musical journey, exploring a collection of blues tinged classic material with his good friend and acclaimed record producer John Simon, whose resume includes producing classic albums by The Band, Leonard Cohen, Gordon Lightfoot and Blood Sweat & Tears. Recording Savoy is the realization of a musical collaboration they had been discussing for decades, finally locking in the studio time in Oakland, California to make it happen in August, 2022.

In the introduction to the first track ‘Stompin’ at the Savoy’, Taj Mahal talks about his parents meeting for the first time at the famous Savoy Ballroom in Harlem during the initial run of Ella Fitzgerald with the Chick Webb Band in 1938, writes Stony Plain Records co-founder Holger Petersen in the album’s informative liner notes. The album is a loving throwback to the sounds of the swing jazz big band era. With guest vocals of Maria Muldaur on ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ and Evan Price’s violin on two tracks, the album covers 14 standards composed by the likes of Duke Ellington, Louis Jordan, George Gershwin and Louis Armstrong, brought to life by the unique voice and character of the one and only Taj Mahal.

Savoy was recorded at 25th Street Recording in Oakland with engineer Gabriel Shepard. Taj showed up the first day about 1:00 PM and settled in with cups of sweet tea. Backing Taj Mahal vocals and harmonica on Savoy is a rhythm section comprised of Danny Caron – guitar; Ruth Davies – bass; John Simon – piano; and Leon Joyce, Jr. – drums; with background vocals by Carla Holbrook, Leesa Humphrey and Charlotte McKinnon.

On the first day of recording, the band was running down John Simon’s arrangement of ‘Stompin’ at the Savoy’ with encouragement from Taj. Chick Webb had the first hit with the song in 1934 and Ella later recorded it with Louis Armstrong. Taj said, “It needs a little more sashay. You’ll know it when you hear it.” Co-Executive Producer Holger Petersen who was at the session shares, “and everybody did! Taj’s scat singing is a highlight. Except for Killer Joe, fans would likely have heard all the others at one time or another at the Savoy Ballroom during its long run from 1926 to 1958. This is a Taj album like no other and a deep part of his long history.”

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Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder - Get On Board: The Songs Of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee

Album: Get On Board
Size: 103,0 MB
Time: 44:34
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2022
Styles: Blues, harmonica blues, roots
Art: Front, back

1. My Baby Done Changed The Lock On The Door (4:15)
2. The Midnight Special (3:26)
3. Hooray Hooray (4:20)
4. Deep Sea Diver (5:17)
5. Pick A Bale Of Cotton (3:02)
6. Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee (3:15)
7. What A Beautiful City (4:11)
8. Pawn Shop Blues (5:51)
9. Cornbread, Peas, Black Molasses (3:43)
10. Packing Up Getting Ready To Go (2:49)
11. I Shall Not Be Moved (4:19)

Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder played together during the mid-'60s as part of roots rock band Rising Sons and cut an unreleased album for Columbia. In 1968, Cooder, then 17, played guitar behind Jesse Ed Davis on Mahal's eponymously titled Columbia debut. The raucous, woolly, Get On Board: The Songs of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee places them in the studio together for the first time in more than 50 years.

All 11 songs are drawn from the Terry-McGhee catalog, including three that originally appeared on the guitar-and-harmonica duo's 1952 Folkways recording Get On Board (even the album cover was modeled on the original). Terry and McGhee made records, but as fresh fare for their many live performances - they toured constantly during the '50s and '60s. Their influence and impact on Mahal and Cooder is incalculable; it completely informed their long careers. Though this pair are grizzled veterans, they perform with the joy of a Saturday-night jam session, rendering the material with rowdy exuberance, killer vibes, and chops galore.

On 1952's Get On Board, Terry and McGhee were accompanied by Coyal McMahan on maracas. Here, Cooder's son Joachim joins on bass and percussion. Mahal takes on the role of harmonicist Terry. He is one of the most innovative and resonant blues singers in history, and like Terry, he offers amazing rhythmic statements with both voice and harp. (His lusty delivery on opener "My Baby Done Changed the Lock on the Door" is alone worth the album's price tag.) Cooder claims guitarist McGhee as his role model here. His strumming and fingerpicking styles were directly inspired by his predecessor's playing technique. On the same opening tune, Cooder's distorted electric strum provides the bountiful grit and groove quotient for his partner. He takes the lead vocal on a jaunty version of the standard "The Midnight Special." Mahal's harmonica and backing vocal offer inventive lyricism and pulsing rhythm accompaniment as Joachim bangs on boxes and snares underneath.

"Deep Sea Diver" is rendered with Mahal playing barrelhouse piano. Atop a filthy electric guitar, Cooder delivers one of his most impassioned, soulful vocals. Mahal grunts, growls, and snarls in "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" as Cooder punctuates the lines with a biting acoustic slide and affirmative shouted commentary. "Cornbread, Peas, Black Molasses" is a homesick country blues sung in duet amid wrangling guitars and wailing harp. "Packing Up Getting Ready to Go" has modern sonics, staggered vocal harmonies, and swampy midnight guitar from Cooder; the lyrics reference death and salvation as imminent.

Get On Board closes with the gospel nugget "I Shall Not Be Moved," offered loosely as spiritual conviction, truth, and a symbol of earthly resistance to injustice amid joyfully strummed guitars, piping harp, and thudding percussion. Mahal and Cooder stay close to the originals, but whether faithfully evoking the sound and spirit of their mentors or using them as lift-off points for expansion, this glorious album honors their subjects with joy and swagger as well as devotion. /Thom Jurek, AllMusic

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Taj Mahal - Queen Bee Live

Size: 158.5 MB
Time: 67:37
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2021
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Honky Talk (Live) (5:18)
02. Think (Live) (2:38)
03. Ez Rider (Live) (3:14)
04. Hard Way (Live) (2:54)
05. Stranger In My Own Hometown (Live) (2:51)
06. The Hoochi Coochi Coo (Live) (5:00)
07. Queen Bee (Live) (6:06)
08. Senor Blues (Live) (6:51)
09. Mailbox Blues (Live) (3:38)
10. Irresistible You (Live) (3:27)
11. Cheatin' On You (Live) (3:52)
12. Rain From The Sky (Live) (3:14)
13. Here In The Dark (Live) (3:46)
14. Down Home Girl (Live) (4:03)
15. The Hustle Is On (Live) (4:47)
16. Mr. Pitiful (Live) (2:35)
17. Phantom Blues (Live) (3:13)

Taj Mahal, original name Henry Saint Clair Fredericks, (born May 17, 1942, New York, New York, U.S.), American singer, guitarist, and songwriter who was one of the pioneers of what came to be called world music. He combined acoustic blues and other African American music with Caribbean and West African music and other genres to create a distinctive sound.

Taj Mahal (the name came to him in a dream) grew up in a musical family. His father, of Jamaican background, was a jazz musician and arranger; his mother, a schoolteacher, sang gospel music. While a student at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in the early 1960s, he began exploring the origins of African American music and focused on acoustic blues. Following graduation, he played in folk clubs until he moved to California in 1965. There he teamed up with Ry Cooder to form the band Rising Sons.

Returning to solo performing, he released his first album, Taj Mahal, in 1968. This and other albums recorded during the next several years—notably Giant Step/De Ole Folks at Home (1969) and Recycling the Blues and Other Related Stuff (1972)—featured blues songs infused with ragtime, reggae, gospel, and other sounds. Mahal typically accompanied himself on a National steel guitar but was also accomplished on a number of other instruments; he would frequently include electric instruments, tubas, steel drums, and such exotic instruments as the kalimba (thumb piano) on his recordings, often in unexpected combinations.

Mahal recorded several dozen albums over the course of his career; a major anthology, In Progress & In Motion (1965–1998), was released in 1998. He explored world music on Mumtaz Mahal (1995), recorded with Indian musicians; Sacred Island (1998), a delve into Hawaiian music; and Kulanjan (1999), on which he partnered with Malian kora player Toumani Diabaté. Mahal’s work also included scores for motion pictures—notably Sounder (1972) and Sounder II (1976), in which he also had acting roles—and for the play Mule Bone (1991), originally written by Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston in the 1930s. He received Grammy Awards for best contemporary blues album for Señor Blues (1997) and Shoutin’ in Key (2000), and his duet album with Keb’ Mo’, TajMo (2017), also earned that award.

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Taj Mahal - Blue Light Boogie

Size: 111.3 MB
Time: 47:25
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1999
Styles: Blues
Art: Full

01. River Of Love (4:05)
02. Honky Tonk Women (4:39)
03. Don't Call Us (4:20)
04. Take A Giant Step (4:37)
05. Down Home Girl (3:43)
06. Feets Don't Fail Me Now (3:19)
07. Dark Angel (3:26)
08. Big Legged Mommas Are Back In Style (4:18)
09. John The Revelator (3:54)
10. Blue Light Boogie (4:05)
11. She Caught The Katy (And Left Me A Mule To Ride) (3:40)
12. Mercedes Benz (3:17)

Blue Light Boogie is a compilation drawn from Taj Mahal's work for the Private Music label during the '90s, specifically the albums Like Never Before (1991) and Dancing the Blues (1993); there's also an ample and varied helping of covers ranging from traditional, rural blues to rock & roll. It's sort of an odd tactic for a compilation, given that The Best of the Private Years, released a year later, doesn't duplicate any of this material; as a result, that supposedly balanced introduction ends up skewed away from Blue Light Boogie's sources, not featuring any songs from Like Never Before. Still, even if all of this is a ham-handed way for a record company to handle an artist's discography, Blue Light Boogie is overall a pretty decent sampler and an entertaining listen. Just don't expect an introduction to Mahal's '90s recordings that has any sense of completeness. ~Steve Huey

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Taj Mahal - The Underground Pipeline (Live, Gainesville, 1978)

Size: 112,7 MB
Time: 48:21
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2020
Styles: Acoustic Blues
Art: Front

01. Intro (Live) (0:46)
02. Mailbox Blues (Live) (4:25)
03. Little Brown Dog (Live) (3:02)
04. Talk #1 (Live) (0:48)
05. Tuning #1 (Live) (2:43)
06. Clara (St. Kitts Woman) (Live) (5:16)
07. Talk & Tuning #1 (Live) (1:11)
08. I Wish I Was In Houston Blues (Live) (6:50)
09. Tuning #2 (Live) (0:44)
10. When I Feel The Sea Beneath My Soul (Live) (4:21)
11. Talk & Tequila (Live) (1:36)
12. Nobody's Business But My Own (Live) (5:09)
13. Talk & Tuning #2 (Live) (2:30)
14. Ain't Gwine Whistle Dixie Any Mo (Live) (4:14)
15. Tuning #3 (Live) (0:35)
16. Take A Giant Step (Live) (4:04)

Taj Mahal doesn’t wait for permission. If a sound intrigues him, he sets out to make it. If origins mystify him, he moves to trace them. If rules get in his way, he unapologetically breaks them. To Taj, convention means nothing, but traditions are holy. He has pushed music and culture forward, all while looking lovingly back.

“I just want to be able to make the music that I’m hearing come to me––and that’s what I did,” Taj says. The 76-year-old is home in Berkeley, reflecting on six decades of music making. “When I say, ‘I did,’ I’m not coming from the ego. The music comes from somewhere. You’re just the conduit it comes through. You’re there to receive the gift.”

Taj is a towering musical figure––a legend who transcended the blues not by leaving them behind, but by revealing their magnificent scope to the world. “The blues is bigger than most people think,” he says. “You could hear Mozart play the blues. It might be more like a lament. It might be more melancholy. But I’m going to tell you: the blues is in there.”

If anyone knows where to find the blues, it’s Taj. A brilliant artist with a musicologist’s mind, he has pursued and elevated the roots of beloved sounds with boundless devotion and skill. Then, as he traced origins to the American South, the Caribbean, Africa, and elsewhere, he created entirely new sounds, over and over again. As a result, he’s not only a god to rock-and-roll icons such as Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones, but also a hero to ambitious artists toiling in obscurity who are determined to combine sounds that have heretofore been ostracized from one another. No one is as simultaneously traditional and avant-garde.

The Underground Pipeline (Live, Gainesville, 1978) MP3
The Underground Pipeline (Live, Gainesville, 1978) FLAC

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VA - The Hot Spot (Soundtrack)

Size: 95,9 MB
Time: 40:50
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1990
Styles: Blues, Soundtrack
Art: Full

01. John Lee Hooker - Coming To Town (3:11)
02. Taj Mahal - Empty Bank (2:23)
03. John Lee Hooker - Harry's Philosophy (2:48)
04. Taj Mahal - Dolly's Arrival (1:20)
05. John Lee Hooker - Harry And Dolly (2:53)
06. John Lee Hooker - Sawmill (3:07)
07. Taj Mahal - Bank Robbery (4:37)
08. John Lee Hooker - Moanin' (3:24)
09. Miles Davis - Gloria's Story (3:27)
10. John Lee Hooker - Harry Sets Up Sutton (1:45)
11. John Lee Hooker - Murder (4:14)
12. Miles Davis - Blackmail (2:13)
13. Miles Davis - End Credits (5:22)

A return look and listen to this historical and breathtaking collaboration between two of the great figures of modern music should naturally be prefaced by a few key facts. Although this album presents itself as the soundtrack to the film The Hot Spot, like many such releases it bares little relation to the music that was actually used in the film -- not that much of this music was actually used. All one really needs to know about the film itself, other than the fact that it was directed by Dennis Hopper, is that it is awful, even by bad film standards. That it was the impetus for this marvelous music to be made is something listeners should be thankful for, particularly fans of either Miles Davis or John Lee Hooker. Anyone who grew up with the former artist during his electric transfusions of the '60s and '70s probably wondered why he wasn't playing with John Lee Hooker the whole time, since they both seemed headed in the same direction. In fact, one wonders why it took this crummy film and the personal appeal of its director to bring these two musical giants together. That they didn't seek to do something like this on their own can be looked at as a character flaw, one that can only be forgiven after listening to how wonderfully they interact here. An important aspect of the magic is their individual genius in the art of playing blues music in such utterly personal ways. There is no mistaking the sound of either Hooker or Davis for anyone else, with layer upon layer of detail backing that up -- the actual sound of their instruments is distinctive, their choices of notes and timing completely unusual and impossible to imitate, and they both have a knack for casually making even the most basic sort of band track sound as if it is a style of music that has never been played before. No matter how many times one may have heard a bar band break into what they think is a Hooker boogie, a brief recovery period will still be required after first exposure to the tracks here. Often during his recording career, Hooker was able to get a particularly scintillating rhythm section sound going with whatever pros had been assembled for the occasion. This is one of these sessions, but it indeed makes it seem like a royal visit to have Davis blowing over the top of these grooves. There are other dignitaries as well. Blues guitarist Roy Rogers adds some tasteful slide guitar, and it could be said that it presents another melodic direction for the interaction. But when one has a choice to hear Hooker or Davis instead, most listeners will simply wish Rogers had ridden off into the sunset on his faithful horse instead of coming to this session. Taj Mahal, on the other hand, adds nice textures with his dobro, an instrument that is wonderfully versatile yet so often overlooked in anything other than bluegrass music or straight-ahead country blues. The latter genre, unfortunately, has too much of a sway over this performer's choice of picking patterns. He sounds like what he is: a revivalist who learned how to play blues in college. The rhythm section kicks the whole time, while composer and arranger Jack Nitzsche makes valuable contributions of his own. This includes a minor-key groove -- completely unusual for Hooker, who perhaps recorded in a minor key less than a half-dozen times in his entire career. The dabs of typical film score-type music seem like nothing special until there is an entrance by Davis. These sections of him extemporizing over such routine music bring to mind one of the Ralph J. Gleason profiles of Davis, which described the artist hanging out in his music room playing along with various new releases and painfully trying to reharmonize several selections from the score of Dr. Doolittle he was thinking about recording. The image is that of normal music being twisted into something different by a master at such trickery; most of The Hot Spot soundtrack, on the other hand, presents this great jazz soloist playing over blues grooves as pure as only Hooker could make happen, an interesting contrast to some of the weaker, late-period Davis, where his bands are simply straining to be funky in an old-time bluesy way. To say this is the best recording Davis made in his final period might be misunderstood as damning with faint praise. A more solid compliment would be to contrast it with other great moments from the trumpeter's career, such as Bitches Brew or Kind of Blue, and the best parts of this soundtrack contain music that is every bit as interesting and profound. As for a Hooker album, there might be others that have better blues songs on them, but this is just about the only recording the bluesman ever did with a really great jazz soloist on it. ~Eugene Chadbourne

The Hot Spot MP3
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Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley - World Full Of Blues

Size: 103,3 MB
Time: 43:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Blues, Country, Bluegrass
Art: Front

01. Born With The Blues (4:16)
02. Brown Eyed Women (Feat. Vince Gill) (4:00)
03. I'm Here But I'm Lonely (3:41)
04. Thirty Days (2:51)
05. World Full Of Blues (Intro) (1:14)
06. World Full Of Blues (Feat. Taj Mahal) (5:19)
07. The Fatal Shore (5:29)
08. Nobody Can Tell Me I Can't (3:36)
09. There's Always Something To Remind Me Of You (2:59)
10. Suzanne (3:55)
11. Both Ends Of My Rainbow (3:25)
12. Rugged Road (2:51)

Powerhouse acoustic duo Rob Ickes (Dobro) and Trey Hensley (guitar) move beyond the acoustic-centric sound of their previous two releases on WORLD FULL OF BLUES. Working with GRAMMY-winning producer Brent Maher, the topical album juices up their sound with Hammond B3 and a horn section, with plenty of grit and a nod to the rootsy side of Americana. The album was recorded live with minimal overdubs; guests include blues great Taj Mahal, who provides his unmistakable mojo to the title track, and country music legend Vince Gill, who joins the GRAMMY-nominated duo on an inspired rendition of The Grateful Dead’s moonshiner song, “Brown-Eyed Women.”

World Full Of Blues

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Janiva Magness - Change In The Weather: Janiva Magness Sings John Fogerty

Size: 112,0 MB
Time: 47:49
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Blues Rock, Rock
Art: Full

01. Change In The Weather (4:39)
02. Lodi (Feat. Sam Morrow) (3:50)
03. Someday Never Comes (4:02)
04. Wrote A Song For Everyone (3:53)
05. Don't You Wish It Was True (Feat. Taj Mahal) (4:22)
06. Have You Ever Seen The Rain (4:27)
07. Bad Moon Rising (4:06)
08. Blueboy (3:47)
09. Fortunate Son (3:13)
10. Deja Vu (All Over Again) (4:06)
11. A Hundred And Ten In The Shade (4:39)
12. Lookin’ Out My Back Door (2:39)

Change In The Weather: Janiva Magness Sings John Fogerty brings Janiva's blues-oriented, soulful style to 12 classic Fogerty and Creedence Clearwater Revival tunes. Featuring guests Sam Morrow on the swampy "Lodi" and Blues legend Taj Mahal on "Don't You Wish It Was True," the album reflects the timeless quality of Fogerty's work, cutting a broad swath through rock, blues, and country, and trailblazing the eclectic, roots-based Americana genre.

Updated: CD Rip with full covers.
Originally posted on 12/Set/2019.

Change In The Weather

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Taj Mahal - Sounder

Source: Digital Lossless Copy
Taj Mahal - Sounder
Size: 89.4 MB
Time: 38:39
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1972/2018
Styles: Country Blues, Soundtrack
Art: Front & Back

01. Needed Time (2:51)
02. Sounder Chase A Coon (3:22)
03. Needed Time (Hummin' And Pickin') (1:23)
04. Morning Work - N' Meat's On The Stove (1:43)
05. I'm Running And I'm Happy (0:55)
06. Speedball (1:38)
07. Goin' To The Country - Critters In The Woods (1:44)
08. Motherless Children (Hummin') (1:18)
09. Jailhouse Blues (3:54)
10. Just Workin' (0:32)
11. Harriet's Dance Song (0:30)
12. Two Spirits Reunited (1:51)
13. Vid Runs Again (0:26)
14. Riosity Blues (1:00)
15. Meday Be A Change (1:01)
16. Rseshoes (1:59)
17. Eraw (2:20)
18. David's Dream (0:59)
19. Needed Time (Guitar) (2:25)
20. Needed Time (Banjo And Handclapping) (2:20)
21. Horseshoes (4:19)

One of the rootsiest albums ever recorded by Taj Mahal – a set that begins with a song by Lightnin Hopkins, then seems to have Taj echoing a lot of the spareness of that work! The film's set in the 30s, and the music is very rootsy rural blues – with just Taj Mahal on vocals, steel-bodied guitar, harmonica, and even a bit of banjo and fife – served up in ways that almost make the whole thing feel like a Folkways recording, instead of an album done for Columbia. Tunes are often short, and a mix of vocals and instrumentals – and Lightnin Hopkins sings "Needed Time" – while the others include "Just Workin", "Jailhouse Blues", "I'm Running & I'm Happy", "Harriet's Dance Song", "Two Spirits Reunited", "Sounder Chase A Coon", and "Speedball".

Sounder

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The BB King Blues Band - The Soul Of The King

Source: CD
Size: 140,3 MB
Time: 59:37
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Full

01. Irene Irene (4:29)
02. Sweet Little Angel (4:55)
03. There Must Be A Better World Somewhere (3:26)
04. Paying The Cost To Be The Boss (4:48)
05. Low Down (4:41)
06. She's The One (5:27)
07. Taking Care Of Business (3:17)
08. Becoming The Blues (5:19)
09. Hey There Pretty Woman (4:09)
10. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (4:02)
11. Regal Blues (A Tribute To The King) (5:15)
12. Pocket Full Of Money (6:07)
13. The Thrill Is Gone (3:37)

Long live the King. Four years since the passing of the great B.B. King, his towering influence over the blues world - and beyond - remains undimmed. From the long-standing fans still held spellbound by 1965's classic Live At The Regal album, to the young guitarists adding a shiver of vibrato to an emotive solo, King's music will never be forgotten. And this year, the iconic bluesman's presence is felt stronger than ever, as his spirit imbues a star-studded new album, The Soul Of The King. The term 'legend' doesn't do justice to B.B. King. The eight-decade story of how a Mississippi cotton-picker rose to the heights of the blues - changing the genre forever with his soul-drenched voice and 'one-note' touch - is told by his acclaimed studio catalogue and fabled live shows. Now, as the men who walked alongside him every step of the way for over 35 years, The B.B. King Blues Band writes the next chapter, on an album that salutes King's classic songs and showcases their own. "It's important," nods executive producer Terry Harvey, "to continue what he started." Boasting several world-class songwriters in their ranks, The Soul Of The King finds the lineup supplying material that stands alongside their late leader's catalogue - along with guests that include Joe Louis Walker's soulful tribute on Regal Blues and Kenny Wayne Shepherd's masterful solo on opener Irene Irene. Meanwhile, as King's faithful sidemen, this band of blues lifers have the great man's music under their fingernails, and made a bracing return to his greatest cuts. There's a heartfelt turn from Michael Lee on The Thrill Is Gone. Mary Griffin and Taj Mahal combine their vocal and guitar talents on Paying The Cost To Be The Boss - while Kenny Neal lends poignant vocals and licks to Sweet Little Angel. "Our approach was not to stray too far from the original, but still to make it fresh," says Harvey. "I want the world to remember B.B. and to introduce his music to the youth of today." They might have an illustrious history, but The Soul Of The King reminds us that The B.B. King Blues Band are a lineup moving forward, writing a love-letter to their fallen leader while staking their own claim in the modern era. "When we started this album, we wanted to let the world know the B.B. King Band is live and well," explains Harvey. "And that we are continuing B.B.'s musical legacy".

The Soul Of The King

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VA - Blue Muse

Size: 168,1 MB
Time: 71:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Acoustic/Electric Blues, Blues Folk
Art: Front

01 The Grotto Sessions - La Collegiale (3:27)
02 Taj Mahal - Spike Driver Blues (4:24)
03 Captain Luke - Old Black Buck (3:29)
04 Eddie Tigner - Route 66 (4:45)
05 Alabama Slim - I Got The Blues (4:39)
06 Robert Finley - Age Don't Mean A Thing (4:27)
07 Dom Flemons - Polly Put The Kettle On (2:14)
08 John Dee Holeman - Hambone (2:18)
09 Algia Mae Hinton - Snap Your Fingers (3:40)
10 Willie Farmer - I Am The Lightnin' (3:20)
11 Dave McGrew - D.O.C. Man (3:43)
12 Martha Spencer & Kelley Breiding - Sweet Valentine (2:24)
13 Dom Flemons - I Wanna Boogie (1:43)
14 Eric & Tim - Mississippi Blues (3:46)
15 Guitar Gabriel - Landlord Blues (2:54)
16 Drink Small - Widow Woman (4:15)
17 Sam Frazier Jr. - Cabbage Man (2:27)
18 Cary Morin - Sing It Louder (2:59)
19 Ironing Board Sam - Loose Diamonds (4:12)
20 The Branchettes - I Know I've Been Changed (3:35)
21 Theotis Taylor - Something Within Me (2:49)

Blue Muse

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VA - Blues Folk

Size: 207,2 MB
Time: 87:22
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Blues Folk
Art: Front

01 Kate & Anna McGarrigle - Blues In D (2:43)
02 Alvin Youngblood Hart - John Hardy (4:30)
03 60,000,000 Buffalo - American Money Blues (5:36)
04 Kelly Joe Phelps - Roll Away The Stone (4:50)
05 Thorstein Bergman - How Long Blues (Demo 1965) (2:36)
06 Blind Willie McTell - You Got To Die (3:09)
07 Judy Henske - Empty Bed Blues (3:39)
08 Grateful Dead - Dupree's Diamond Blues (3:33)
09 Delaney & Bonnie & Friends - Come On In My Kitchen - Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean - Going Down The Road Feeling Bad (4:14)
10 James Shorty - I Want Jesus To Walk With Me (3:43)
11 Felix Dukes - Motherless Children (2:49)
12 John Sebastian - Goodnight Irene (Live) (4:40)
13 Alannah Myles - Hurry Make Love (2:16)
14 Chas & Dave - Midnight Special (2:30)
15 John Lee Hooker - Drifting Blues (3:31)
16 Geoff Muldaur - Jailbird Love Song (3:56)
17 Maria Muldaur - Travelin' Shoes (2:23)
18 Odetta - Mule Skinner Blues (2:51)
19 Leadbelly - Looky Looky Yonder Black Betty Yellow Women's Door Bells (3:07)
20 Mississippi Fred McDowell - Drop Down Mama (2:52)
21 Ed Young & Lonnie Young - Chevrolet (4:04)
22 Taj Mahal & Toumani Diabate - Catfish Blues (5:29)
23 Beausoleil - Les Blues De Chaleur (Hot Blues) (3:19)
24 Tim Hardin - I Cant Slow Down (3:25)
25 Lightnin' Hopkins - Bluebird Bluebird (1:26)

Back In Love MP3

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Taj Mahal - Stagger Lee

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Time: 30:58
Size: 72,2 MB
Released: 2006
Styles: Acoustic Blues, Folk Blues
Art: Front

1. Stagger Lee (2:59)
2. Taj's Blues (5:20)
3. Hesitation Blues (2:58)
4. Tom And Sally Drake (2:47)
5. Rolling Wheel Blues (3:06)
6. Ulysses S. Gregory (2:48)
7. Sweet Mama Red (5:39)
8. The Penny Whistle (1:40)
9. Instrumental (3:37)

One of the most prominent figures in late 20th century blues, singer/multi-instrumentalist Taj Mahal played an enormous role in revitalizing and preserving traditional acoustic blues. Not content to stay within that realm, Mahal soon broadened his approach, taking a musicologist's interest in a multitude of folk and roots music from around the world -- reggae and other Caribbean folk, jazz, gospel, R&B, zydeco, various West African styles, Latin, even Hawaiian. The African-derived heritage of most of those forms allowed Mahal to explore his own ethnicity from a global perspective and to present the blues as part of a wider musical context. Yet while he dabbled in many different genres, he never strayed too far from his laid-back country blues foundation. Blues purists naturally didn't have much use for Mahal's music, and according to some of his other detractors, his multi-ethnic fusions sometimes came off as indulgent, or overly self-conscious and academic. Still, Mahal's concept was vindicated in the '90s, when a cadre of young bluesmen began to follow his lead -- both acoustic revivalists (Keb' Mo', Guy Davis) and eclectic bohemians (Corey Harris, Alvin Youngblood Hart). ~Bio Steve Huey

Stagger Lee

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Taj Mahal - Labor Of Love

Size: 116,9 MB
Time: 49:48
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Acoustic Blues
Art: Front

01. Stagger Lee (4:16)
02. Shortnin' Bread (5:31)
03. My Creole Belle (2:49)
04. I Ain't The One You Love (3:07)
05. Fishin' Blues (3:17)
06. Mistreated Blues (3:59)
07. Zanzibar (2:31)
08. So Sweet (4:08)
09. Spike Drivers Blues (4:06)
10. Hambone (2:15)
11. Walkin' Blues (6:55)
12. John Henry (3:43)
13. Song For Brenda (3:05)

These "field recordings" dating from the 1990s were recorded using a pair of Bruel & Kjaer 4165 microphones and B&K power supply, Cello preamp, Apogee 1000 ADC and a Nagra D digital recorder.

About half of the songs featured Mahal solo; on the others, he was joined by an assortment of other MMRF-associated artists. None of it was released at the time; now it’s Mahal’s 47th album and first in four years. It’s delicious stuff. Mahal was miked up close, allowing every crisp nuance of his voice and guitar to be recorded cleanly and clearly; that guitar work, especially, is so in-your-face that you’ll feel like you’re sitting at the artist’s feet. Some of the material will be familiar to anyone who’s followed Taj Mahal, or at least his brand of acoustic blues, for any length of time. The opening number, “Stagger Lee,” is given a reverential traditional treatment, and “Fishin’ Blues,” regardless of how many times he’s cut it, still delights. Mahal takes lyrical and rhythmic liberties with “Walkin’ Blues,” presented here in a bare-bones rendition even starker than the familiar Robert Johnson version; and Mississippi John Hurt’s“My Creole Belle” is sweet and tasty. The duets, for the most part, are enjoyable as well—the slide guitar on “John Henry,” with Etta Baker, is sharp and sleek—but in the end, you may end up wishing that the entire set could’ve been just pure Taj and nothing but Taj.

Labor Of Love MP3
Labor Of Love FLAC

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Scott Sharrard - Saving Grace

Size: 119,5 MB
Time: 50:50
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Soul, Blues Rock
Art: Full

01. High Cost Of Loving You (3:54)
02. Faith To Arise (5:03)
03. Saving Grace (4:51)
04. Everything A Good Man Needs (Feat. Taj Mahal) (4:57)
05. Angeline (4:20)
06. Words Can't Say (4:42)
07. She Can't Wait (4:32)
08. Sweet Compromise (3:41)
09. Tell The Truth (4:35)
10. Keep Me In Your Heart (4:54)
11. Sentimental Fool (5:16)

The Allman Brothers (Gregg and Duane) created more than just a band, they typified a new genre of music, namely Southern Rock, and built the foundation for an eternal musical legacy, as many of the band members and their scions created successful side projects and offshoot groups. On his fifth solo album, “Saving Grace,” guitarist Scott Sharrard (pronounced “shur-ard”) continues that mission of purpose after spending nearly a decade as Musical Director for the Gregg Allman Band; co-writing several songs with Allman and earning two Grammy nominations in 2017 for Gregg’s final studio album “Southern Blood.”

The strong eleven new tracks are an exemplar of the Southern sound of roots rock, blues, soul and classic R&B, focusing on Sharrard’s strong lead and slide guitar work and excellent vocals, supported by a tight rhythm section, spiced with driving horns with lyrics that extoll the values, aspirations and excesses of the Southern working-class ethic. Produced by Sharrard with Scott Bomar and Charles Martinez, the sessions took place in Memphis and at the historic FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Half the album features the Hi Rhythm Section (Howard Grimes, Reverend Charles Hodges and Leroy Hodges), and the other half with renowned Muscle Shoals musicians, David Hood, Spooner Oldham (‘The Swampers’) and Chad Gamble. The album also includes Gregg Allman’s last-known original, “Everything A Good Man Needs,” a co-write with Sharrard, featuring Taj Mahal and Bernard Purdie on drums.

A funky boogaloo beat from Grimes sets up the opening track “High Cost Of Loving You,” with wails from Sharrard’s guitar ushering in hot Memphis horns, B3 and sweet backup vocals on a Beale Street soul burner. The acoustic driven “Faith To Arise,” features Sharrard’s beautiful slide guitar tone on a gently swaying cover of U.K. songwriter Terry Reid’s tale of a road warrior longing for home. Sharrard breaks it down to the core combo for the dramatic slow soul blues title track, letting his emphatic vocals and soaring lead guitar take center stage. Taj Mahal steps in for the late great Gregg Allman on “Everything A Good Man Needs;” the cool burning piece of low country blues fused with Muscle Shoals’ horns that surely was destined for a future Allman album and we are blessed with its release here as a loving tribute to the Midnight Rider.

We return to Memphis for a swinging horn driven 12/8 R&B love song, ‘Angeline,’ that could have come from the Bobby “Blue” Bland catalog, and remain deep in the heart of Soulsville for the lushfully orchestrated ballad ‘Words Can’t Say.’ The bittersweet lyrics of ‘She Can’t Wait,’ stand in contrast to the uplifting groove and ascending horn lines. Sharrard takes us to church for the Gospel fueled shuffle ‘Sweet Compromise,’ and entreats the world to search our collective conscious on the evocative ‘Tell The Truth,’ punctuating his appeal with searing lead guitar. Spooner Oldham handles the piano on the lilting country ballad ‘Keep Me In Your Heart,’ while Sharrard recites the breadth of his love before delivering another brilliant slide guitar solo. His obsession with the birthplace of rock & soul continues on the album closer ‘Sentimental Fool,’ with Sharrard evoking Otis Redding and Steve Cropper leading the Memphis horns and sparkling B3 Organ through a joyous Stax Records inspired finale. The fine album Saving Grace” from Scott Sharrard will cement his place in the pantheon of American roots and soul music.

Saving Grace MP3
Saving Grace FLAC

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Mitch Woods - Friends Along The Way (Bonus Track Edition)

Size: 173,0 MB
Time: 73:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

01. Take This Hammer (Feat. Van Morrison & Taj Mahal) (6:04)
02. CC Rider (Feat. Van Morrison & Taj Mahal) (5:38)
03. Keep A Dollar In Your Pocket (Feat. Elvin Bishop) (4:06)
04. Singin' The Blues (Feat. Ruthie Foster) (4:02)
05. Mother In Law Blues (Feat. John Hammond) (3:19)
06. Cryin' For My Baby (Feat. Charlie Musselwhite) (6:42)
07. Nasty Boogie (Feat. Joe Louis Walker) (3:58)
08. Empty Bed Blues (Feat. Maria Muldaur) (4:53)
09. Bluesmobile (Feat. Kenny Neil) (3:27)
10. The Blues (Feat. Cyril Neville) (5:38)
11. Saturday Night Boogie Woogie Man (Feat. Elvin Bishop) (2:55)
12. Blues Gave Me A Ride (Feat. Charlie Musselwhite) (2:27)
13. Chicago Express (Feat. James Cotton) (2:29)
14. Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive (Feat. John Lee Hooker) (5:11)
15. Midnight Hour Blues (Feat. Van Morrison & Taj Mahal) (4:30)
16. In The Night (Feat. Marcia Ball) (2:58)
17. Take This Hammer (Feat. Van Morrison & Taj Mahal) (Radio Version) (5:18)

The theme of friendship has carried Mitch Woods along through his career and has led him to this, his current duets and trios project…. Friends Along The Way. Featuring Guests: Van Morrison, Taj Mahal, Elvin Bishop, Charlie Musselwhite, Ruthie Foster, Joe Louis Walker, Maria Muldaur, Cyril Neville, Marcia Ball, John Hammond, Kenny Neal, James Cotton, John Lee Hooker and more… Mitch Woods has delivered a career spanning tour de force. What you hear on these songs is a simple duo or trio of musicians each expressing their innermost feelings and emotions through their instrument….the voice, piano, guitar, harmonica, tambourine…anything that can communicate the feelings, the rhythms of life to the audience. Friends Along The Way finds Mitch reaching into his historical sense of music. He reaches backwards to the roots rather than forward for his inspiration. This shines through on the first single “Take This Hammer” featuring a stunning vocal performance from Van Morrison and backed on guitar by Taj Mahal and of course Mitch Woods on piano. With Friends Along The Way, Mitch wanted to get a chance to play with some of his contemporaries in an intimate and mostly unplugged environment. The piano as an instrument lends itself to this format so perfectly. Mitch can play rhythm, lead, bass, and sing while accompanying some of his friends, who happen to be today’s blues and musical greats. It is a great instrument for bringing out the best of these awesome artists who are keeping the blues flame burning for generations to come. Some say music is a gift. It is a gift, not only to the person who performs it but to the world. The musicians you hear in these songs have spent a lifetime doing what they love to do….play music. Enjoy…this album is Mitch Wood’s gift to you.

Friends Along The Way

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