Taj Mahal
Biography
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).. 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).
Top Albums |
1. The Best of ..
| 2. The Essentia..
| 3. Taj Mahal
| 4. Maestro
| 5. Giant Step
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6. The Natch'l ..
| 7. Martin Scors..
| 8. Kulanjan
| 9. Etta Baker W..
| 10. The Real Thi..
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11. Mo' Roots
| 12. Señor Blues
| 13. In Progress ..
| 14. Phantom Blue..
| 15. Rising Sons ..
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16. Hidden Treas..
| 17. Blues With a..
| 18. World Music
| 19. Sing a Happy..
| 20. Blues Master..
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Top Songs |
| Name | Album | Time | Price | |
1. | Fishin' Blues | Best of Taj Mahal | 3:08 | $0.99 | |
2. | Lovin' In My Baby's Eyes | Hollywood's Magical Isl.. | 2:44 | $0.99 | |
3. | She Caught the Katy and Left Me a Mu.. | Best of Taj Mahal | 3:28 | $0.99 | |
4. | Corinna | Best of Taj Mahal | 3:02 | $0.99 | |
5. | Queen Bee | Señor Blues | 4:40 | $0.99 | |
6. | Mercedes Benz | All Blues'd Up: Songs o.. | 3:12 | $0.99 | |
7. | Down By the Riverside | Divided & United: The S.. | 3:33 | $1.29 | |
8. | Tit Monde | Creole Bred - A Tribute to .. | 4:37 | $1.29 | |
9. | Two-Step de Grand Mallet | Creole Bred - A Tribute to .. | 3:53 | $1.29 | |
10. | My Girl Josephine | Goin' Home: A Tribute t.. | 4:09 | $1.29 | |
11. | It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a .. | All Blues'd Up: Songs o.. | 4:32 | $0.99 | |
12. | In the Kitchen (feat. French Montana.. | In the Kitchen (Rmx) [feat... | 4:14 | $0.99 | |
13. | Tear This Cabin Down (with Dialog) | Ghost Brothers of Darkland .. | 6:01 | $1.29 | |
14. | Home Again (with Dialog) | Ghost Brothers of Darkland .. | 3:54 | $1.29 | |
15. | Mailbox Blues | True Blues | 3:23 | $1.29 | |
16. | Done Changed My Way of Living | True Blues | 7:04 | $1.29 | |
17. | Hesitation Blues | Best - Slide Guitar Blues | 2:54 | $0.99 | |
18. | What Kind of Man Am I | Ghost Brothers of Darkland .. | 4:25 | $1.29 | |
19. | Tear This Cabin Down | Ghost Brothers of Darkland .. | 5:37 | $1.29 | |
20. | Home Again | Ghost Brothers of Darkland .. | 3:56 | $1.29 | |
21. | Statesboro Blues | At the New Morning Blues Fe.. | 3:43 | $0.99 | |
22. | Ballad of Stagger Lee | At the New Morning Blues Fe.. | 5:32 | $0.99 | |
23. | Goodnight, Irene | They All Played For Us: Arh.. | 3:52 | $0.99 | |
24. | New Hula Blues | They All Played For Us: Arh.. | 4:09 | $0.99 | |
25. | Corinna | They All Played For Us: Arh.. | 4:06 | $0.99 | |
Top Music Videos |
1. I'm Shinin'
| 2. Toast to Free...
| 3. Toast to Free...
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