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A great title for this second set from Taj Mahal – because the sound here is even more stripped-down and natural than on his first LP! Taj turns in a lot more original tunes this time around – and is in wonderfully comfortable territory with his own lead lyrics, sung alongside his own work on harmonica and steel guitar too. Jesse Ed Davis adds in plenty of great lead guitar, and also handles the rhythm arrangements too – and Al Kooper guests a bit on piano, but like all musicians here is very respectful of Mahal's role as the lead. Titles include "Good Morning Miss Brown", "Done Changed My Way Of Living", "I Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Steal My Jellyroll", "The Cuckoo", and "Ain't That A Lot Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A well-titled album – given that Taj Mahal's music is always pretty darn rootsy – and this time around, he's also adding in a bit of Jamaican roots too, thanks to production help from Bob Marley and Aston Barrett of The Wailers! The pair help Taj out on a few numbers, mixing in some reggae rhythms with his bluesy lead – another compelling combination of modes that marks the creative apex of Taj Mahal's years on Columbia. Titles include "Johnny Too Bad", "Big Mama", "Cajun Waltz", "Slave Driver", "Blackjack Davey", and "Desperate Lover". LP, Vinyl record album

Hardly any "recycling" going on here – as Taj Mahal takes bluesy roots and turns them in a whole new direction for the 70s, evolving the music way past the level most other bluesmen were working in at the time! At some level, Mahal's style is far more rootsy than most early 70s blues artists – often more acoustic guitar and percussion than you'd expect – but there's also a looser, freer presentation of the material – opened up a lot more than any delta bluesman from many years back, and often touched with some jazzier inflections on some of the phrasing. Plus, the music here features some unusual elements from time to time – including kalimba, tuba, banjo, and even some backing vocals by The Pointer Sisters. The album was recorded live, with a nicely organic feel – and titles include "A Free Song", "Corinna", "Conch Close", "Kalimba", "Bound To Love Me Some", "Richochet", "Gitano Negro", "Cakewalk Into Town", and "Texas Woman Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A well-titled set – given that the record really shows an evolution in the style of Taj Mahal! Some cuts are still in an older bluesy mode, but a few others feature some great backings from Leon Pendarvis – who creates this fuller, soaring sort of style that takes off with plenty of power! The approach is a great way to use Taj's vocals in a richer 70s soul setting – and those cuts are balanced by some more stripped-down numbers that include a few that follow in the recent Mahal use of steel drums. Titles include "Sing A Happy Song", "Lowdown Showdown", "Why You Do Me This Way", "Highnite", and "Salsa De Laventille". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Taj Mahal's first LPs of the 70s, and also one of his very best of the decade – if not THE best! Happy To Be Just Like I Am is one of the earlier records Taj cut in which he's really going all in with the diverse influences, including the Caribbean flourishes that so flavored his records to come – but not so much as to spread anything out too thin or make for a dizzying mess of things. There's still a lot of straight up country soul & blues in the sound, and Mahal's vocals are just gritty enough, and never sounded better than they do here. Titles include "Happy Just To Be Like I Am", "Stealin", "Oh Susanna", "Eighteen Hammers",. "Tomorrow May Not Be Your Day", "Chevrolet"., "West Indian Revelation" and "Black Spirit Boogie". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweetly soulful set that has Taj Mahal really trying on some new flavors – yet still keeping things strongly in the bluesy territory of his roots! In addition to the lead vocals and lots of acoustic guitar, the set also features key contributions from Rudy Costa on a range of saxes, plus flute and kalimba too – plus other unusual elements that include steel drums, timbales, and banjo – all of which inflect different moments with freshly playful sounds, and a surprisingly Caribbean vibe at times. Titles include "You Got It", "Sailin", "Truck Driver's Two Step", "Curry", and "The Four Mills Brothers". LP, Vinyl record album

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The first album in a mighty legendary run from Taj Mahal – one of the first generation of blues musicians to really learn to recast their sound for the younger crossover generation! By that, we don't mean that Taj is commercial at all – it's just that he's kind of reclaiming the blues roots that had been filtered into mainstream rock by the late 60s time of this recording – stripping things down, and getting back to basics in a mighty nice way! He gets key help on the record from a young Ry Cooder, and from guitarist Jessie Ed Davis too – and titles include "Leaving Trunk", "EZ Rider", "Dust My Broom", "Diving Duck Blues", "The Celebrated Walkin Blues", and "Statesboro Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark recording that is one of Jorge Ben's best albums ever! The album is a perfect realization of the way that Jorge mixes Brazilian rhythms with choppy Afro grooves – and the result is a masterpiece that yeilded some of his biggest tracks ever. Included here is the great choppy funk track "Ponta De Lanca", plus loads of other goodies like "O Filosofo", "Xica Da Silva", "A Historia De Jorge", and a great remake of "Taj Mahal" – probably his greatest cut ever. Great all the way through – and is a perfect introduction to Jorge Ben if you don't know his work, and an essential addition to your collection if you do! LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked treasure from the great Jorge Ben – an album recorded between the fame of his "Taj Mahal" hit and Africa Brasil classic – and a set that's every bit as wonderful as those two records! There's a tight, choppy groove to most of the set – that mix of samba, soul, and currents of American funk that Jorge created in his music – turned here towards some of the unusual themes that showed up on his Tabua De Esmeralda album, but maybe given a bit more punch, too – so that even without the benefit of language, the vocals and grooves on the set are completely captivating to a global audience! There's loads of fresh sounds here – some real under-discovered gems from Jorge's key 70s years – and titles include "Cuidado Com O Bulldog", "Zagueiro", "Para Ouvir No Radio (Luciana)", "Jorge De Capadocia", "Dumingaz", "Se Segura Malandro", and "Jesualda". LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff from Jorge Ben! The record features a batch of 3-track medleys that combine titles that Ben recorded over the past 10 years of his career – all blended together in a tight funky way, with that excellent soulful sound that he was using in the mid 70s! The groove is great all the way through – and the record's a massive party that recalls some of Jorge's best tunes ever, all recast in that tight hard 70s funky style we love so much! Includes nice remakes of "Que Maravilha", "Zazueira", "Pais Tropical", "Taj Mahal", "Que Pena", and "Mas Que Nada". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark recording that is one of Jorge Ben's best albums ever! The album is a perfect realization of the way that Jorge mixes Brazilian rhythms with choppy Afro grooves – and the result is a masterpiece that yeilded some of his biggest tracks ever. Included here is the great choppy funk track "Ponta De Lanca", plus loads of other goodies like "O Filosofo", "Xica Da Silva", "A Historia De Jorge", and a great remake of "Taj Mahal" – probably his greatest cut ever. Great all the way through – and is a perfect introduction to Jorge Ben if you don't know his work, and an essential addition to your collection if you do! LP, Vinyl record album

20 tracks over 2LPs - featuring Sly & The Family Stone, Chambers Brothers, Al Kooper, Janis Joplin, Miles Davis, Chicago, Taj Mahal, Byrds, Santana, and more! LP, Vinyl record album