Long-time blues guitarist Taj Mahal is no different, accomplishing the same sort of montage-construction in a more localized fashion. Borrowing from traditional blues, reggae, cultural African stylings, folk, and good ol’ Bayou beats, Mahal presents a tantalizing, cross-cultural slice of the American musical journey. Offered with deft skill on Maestro, this tour – spanning the Caribbean, the South, rural America, and everything in-between – is the perfect soundtrack to represent such a home-grown musical culture. And, despite starting out rather predictably, the album finishes strongly enough to prove Taj Mahal’s chops as a genre ringmaster.

It is perhaps a disservice to call Mahal a “guitarist,” when in reality he plays several instruments, and all capably. But whether it’s the axe or the harmonica, everything is performed with love – a thick, fat, pleasurable sound blasting out with unabashed pride. The tunes on Maestro are self-indulgent for both performer and listener, at times dirty and other times graceful, all raw and heartfelt. Mahal’s grimy voice crawls over the various rhythms, infusing every track with joy the way butter might flavor a hot bowl of grits.         

Yet it is the second half of Maestro is where Mahal truly spreads his well-worn wings, channeling unadorned reggae on tracks like “Black Man, Brown Man.” The buzzing, muted brass are mellow and warm as Mahal and Ziggy Marley take turns crooning their easy sorrows. Traditional African harmonies dominate on “Zanzibar” – a beautifully-sung, cascading piece – until things get grubby again with “TV Mama,” one of the bluesiest, foot-stompingest ditties this side of the Mississippi. Wah-wah grit picks up the slack on “I Can Make You Happy,” guitars and mouth-harps whining together in tandem with Mahal’s lizardly vocals and punches of fuzzy organ.

Clearly, Mahal is at his best when mining his options and getting a read for the land rather than sticking with straight-up blues renditions. Tracks such as “Scratch My Back” and “Dust Me Down” are funky and fun and well-constructed, but lack the ethnic, zippy drive of gems such as “Never Let You Go” and “Hello Josephine.” As a result, Maestro is bottom-heavy: the end of the album is stronger, tougher, and more engaging than the start, and listeners will have to stick with it and remain patient in order to enjoy the meat n’ potatoes (or perhaps a better metaphor would be red beans n’ rice.)

In any case, as the title so humbly suggests, let there be no doubt that Taj Mahal truly is a Maestro of his diverse craft.         

Kevin Liedel, Sr. Editor MuzikReviews.com

October 7, 2008

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