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Performer: Taj Mahal
Distributor: Fontana Distribution

Notes: American original Taj Mahal has been redefining the blues while maintaining an unassailably authentic sound since the 1960s, and on his 2008 album, MAESTRO, his powers show no sign of diminishment. From the flashy funk of "Dust You Down" to the reggae grooves of "Brown Man, Black Man," and the New Orleans second-line rhythm of "Hello Josephine," he often ventures beyond the traditional blues but it's still there in everything he does, like a sonic fingeprint that can't be altered.

Entertainment Weekly (p.77) - "Taj Mahal continues to resist the constraints of genre. And so the reggae rhythms of 'Never Let You Go' are provided by ukulele, trombone, and Latin workhorses Los Lobos..." -- Grade: B+ Living Blues (p.38) - "Mahal's move to Heads Up for the appropriately titled MAESTRO finds the veteran artist in top musical condition, full of vitality and as eager to get the listener moving and shaking as he is during his live shows." Mojo (Publisher) (p.116) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[W]hen Ben Harper turns his guitar up, things get interesting, the New Orleans Social Club's two offerings are a blast, and Los Lobos are heard to better effect on 'TV Mama'..."

From the beginning, singer/guitarist Taj Mahal had an interest in/gift for rural blues, and has since embraced everything from electric and psychedelic-tinged blues to reggae and calypso. A tireless performer, he's recorded in many settings, with his honest and impassioned singing providing the common thread through it all. He was a member of '60s band the Rising Sons (which also included Ry Cooder) before embarking on a successful solo career that spanned several decades.

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