Customer Reviews

Best Of

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This collection focuses on the very early Taj Mahal and contains most of his early classics. For anyone not familiar with this artist this is a great place to start. You get a full taste of "Taj Mahal", "The Natch'l Blues" and "The Real Thing"(with the tuba band), his first 3 excellent albums, and it is obvious from these how eclectic a blues performer he is. Taj Mahal has always been one of my favorites, and he presented one of the best live shows I have ever seen. He is touring this summer so check him out if you get a chance, and delve deeply into the rest of his recorded material, particularly "Senor Blues".

I had heard the name Taj Mahal over the years but never took the time to investigate his music. Then one day I heard the song "Fishing Blues" on the radio and it sparked my interest. When I saw that he had this "Best Of..." collection I figured I'd take a chance, I haven't stopped playing it since then. What a find, this is great music! Every track on this cd touched me in some way. Songs like "Statesboro Blues", "Leaving Trunk", and "She Caught The Katy" are gritty, bluesy, and soulful. Taj sings with a voice that was made for the blues, and plays a mean harmonica to boot.
Aside from the songs on this collection that really cook, there are others that seem to transend the blues and create a different feeling. "Corinna", "Take A Giant Step" and "Johnny Too Bad" are more thoughtful and laid back, making for a good mix of tempos'. All in all this is a collection of incredible music from a great artist,and track for track, it's one of the best albums I have ever purchased.

This is a great collection for fans old and new. Taj has such an amazing way of approaching blues and roots music, and this is a great demonstration.

My wife isn't much of a blues fan, but she loves this album.