Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ — “Room On the Porch” — Concord Records
Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ have been sort of a team for a while now, especially since they joined up for the delightful Grammy winning “TajMo” in 2019. They’ve toured together, been on some blues cruises together, and in general, have bought their bluesy, folksy and rootsy styles together in a celebratory collaboration of great American music.
Now they’re at it again with “Room On the Porch,” combining their multi-faceted talents for more of their informal front porch style of original and vintage blues and roots music.
They may be informal, but they’re not alone. They’re joined on vocals on the sprightly title track by Grammy-nominated Ruby Amanfu, and again by jazz-singer Wendy Moten on “Better Than Ever.” And they’ve made room on their porch for a superb supporting cast: Anton Nesbit (bass), Brian Allen (upright bass), David Rodgers (Hammond organ/synth), Jimmy Nichols (Hammond organ/Wurlitzer), K. Roosevelt (drums/bass), Keio Stroud (drums), Jenee Fleenor (violin), Billy Branch (harmonica), Jeff Coffin (sax), John Oates, Robbie Brooks Moore, Lauren Lucas, Michael B. Hicks, Ron Poindexter & Gene Miller.
That’s a lot to pack into one album, but it’s all carried off with a relaxed feeling that makes everything sound musically cool and copasetic. It’s a back porch, or in this case, front porch vibe. The vocals, the instrumentation, the arrangements all weave a magical tapestry. Mo’ and Mahal trade vocals throughout, sometimes joining together, with Taj’s gruffness a gritty counterpoint to Keb’s smoothness on six new songs for the session, plus some smartly recrafted oldies.
The title track opens the album (it’s always a pleasant surprise when that happens) with a friendly invitation from Taj and Keb’ to join this porch party, adding a sparkling vocal contribution by Amanfu: “Come on up there’s room on the porch for everyone.” Next, “My Darling, My Dear,” pairs Mahal and Mo’ in a lovely ballad. Then Mo’ adds his unique sound to open the chestnut, “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out,” leading into a call and response with Mahal, enriched by a striking vocal chorus.
“She Keeps Me Movin’” floats in on an easy, rhythmic shuffle, then the vocal back and forth continues on “Make Up Your Mind.” Make Up Your Mind,” a jaunty, country/folk/pop melody that finds common ground in a cautionary tale with the lyrics “You make no sense, you’re going insane/Do you follow your heart or do you follow your brain.”
“Thicker Than Mud” is a gentle rocker that emphasizes the importance of family ties even after you’re gone: “Blood is thicker than mud.” A deep-throated organ intro opens up the more traditional blues of “Junkyard Dog” with Mahal’s nasty growling “junkyard dog” refrain. The scorching blues of “Blues’ll Give You Back Your Soul,” with Mahal on vocals and ukelele, features an unearthly sax solo in unwinding its primal message: “You like your rock and roll but the blues’ll give you back your soul.” This track should do just that!
Chicago harp legend Billy Branch adds a sharper edge to the Latin-tinged, “Better Than Ever,” with vocal embroidery by Moten, and few concluding verses in French by Mahal with Brach’s harp weaving in and out.
The closer finds Mo’ and Mahal trading vocals and acoustic licks in the down-home “Rough Time Blues,” by Jontavious Willis. The hard-times blues theme is a counterpoint to the general lightness of being that has come before, but its front-porch quality makes it go down easy.
Keb’ Mo’ and Taj Mahal have opened up their front porch once again with their effervescent “Room on the Porch,” where there’s plenty of space for the rest of us to pull up a chair and enjoy.
Here’s “Room on the Porch” from the album:
Tracklist:
1. Room On The Porch with Ruby Amanfu
2. My Darling My Dear
3. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out
4. She Keeps Me Movin’
5. Make Up Your Mind
6. Thicker Than Mud
7. Junkyard Dog
8. Blues’ll Give You Back Your Soul
9. Better Than Ever with Wendy Moten
10. Rough Time Blues
Musicians – Anton Nesbit (bass), Brian Allen (upright bass), David Rodgers (Hammond organ/synth), Jimmy Nichols (Hammond organ/Wurlitzer), K. Roosevelt (drums/bass), Keio Stroud (drums), Jenee Fleenor (violin), Billy Branch (harmonica), Jeff Coffin (sax), John Oates, Robbie Brooks Moore, Lauren Lucas, Michael B. Hicks, Ron Poindexter & Gene Miller.
Blues Roadhouse 