Taj Mahal - The Natch'l Blues

Taj Mahal's second album, recorded in the spring and fall of 1968, opens with more stripped-down Delta-style blues in the manner of his debut, but adds a little more amplification (partly courtesy of Al Kooper on organ) before moving into wholly bigger sound on numbers like "She Caught the Katy and Left Me a Mule to Ride" and "The Cuckoo" -- the latter, in particular, features crunchy electric and acoustic guitars and Gary Gilmore playing his bass almost like a lead instrument, like a bluesman's answer to John Entwistle. Most notable, however, may be the two original closing numbers, "You Don't Miss Your Water ('Til Your Well Runs Dry)" and "Ain't That a Lot of Love," which offer Taj Mahal working in the realm of soul and treading onto Otis Redding territory. This is particularly notable on "You Don't Miss Your Water," which achieves the intensity of a gospel performance and comes complete with a Stax/Volt-style horn arrangement by Jesse Ed Davis that sounds more like the real thing than the real thing. "Ain't That a Lot of Love," by contrast, is driven by a hard electric guitar sound and a relentless bass part that sounds like a more urgent version of the bassline from the Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin'." The fall 2000 CD reissue includes a trio of bonus tracks: a faster-paced rendition of "The Cuckoo" with a more prominent lead guitar, the slow electric lament "New Stranger Blues" featuring some good mandolin-style playing on the guitar, and the rocking instrumental "Things Are Gonna Work Out Fine," which is a killer showcase for Davis' lead electric guitar and Taj Mahal's virtuosity on the harmonica.

100 Best Blues Discs in History (15/100)
Styles - Contemporary Blues, Country Blues, Folk Blues
Time - 49:10
Format - mp3@192 Kbps
Size - 67 mb

Tracks
01. Good Morning Miss Brown
02. Corinna
03. I Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Steal
04. Going Up to the Country, Paint My Mailbox Blue
05. Done Changed My Way of Living
06. She Caught the Katy (And LeftMe a Mule to Ride)
07. The Cuckoo
08. You Don't Miss Your Water ('Til You Well Runs Dry)
09. Ain't That a Lot of Love
10. The Cuckoo [Alternate Version]
11. New Strangers Blues
12. Things Are Gonna Work Out Fine

Credits
Taj Mahal (banjo, guitar, harmonica, arranger, guitar, harp, vocals)
Jesse Ed Davis (bass, guitar, piano)
Al Kooper (piano, keyboards)
Gary Gilmore (bass) 
Earl Palmer, Chuck Blackwell (drums)

Label
Columbia, 1968

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