Phantom Blues by Taj Mahal

After listening to the previous Taj Mahal CD, I didn't want to go away with a bad taste in my mouth for the blues and Taj Mahal. So I am doing a two-fer tonight. I looked through Ross's collection and found another CD to listen to. I hoped this would be more of what I was looking for. I was very pleasantly surprised. This CD was what I thought the blues should sound like; harmonica, guitar, sometimes a horn or two, rollicking piano, and some really sad songs about love. That other CD was too happy to be the blues. When I listened to this CD I felt like I was in Famous Dave's at Calhoun Square. Just kidding. I did imagine myself in some dark blues bar, lots of smoke, and a guy with a guitar. That's what this sounds like. All of the songs are really good and I got to the point where I had almost internalized this CD. I woke up one morning and one of the songs was in my head and I couldn't get it out of my head. That's a good thing, I think.

My favorite songs are "Lovin' in my baby's eyes," which is the link at the bottom of the page, and "(You've got to) Love her with a feeling." I like how they talk about love and are a little more respectful about it than in the last CD. That second song is one I have heard before somewhere else but I like this version. I also like the song "Cheatin' on you." It's about this guy who is cheating on his wife and then finds out that the woman he is cheating with is cheating on him. Great irony there. That's what the blues is about too. If you don't treat people right, they aren't going to treat you right. I also like the way all of the songs don't have a "g" at the end of the gerunds. Very ungrammatical of him, almost rebellious. Another thing I like about the blues!

I don't know what it was about the blues that Ross liked. He was never that specific with me. Listening to this CD though I can understand it. It is a kind of music that lends itself to smoky bars and being sad (i.e. blue) but yet there is love and redemption in the songs. People get what they give. I am keeping this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fPVC1Fs58Q