Both Keb’ Mo’ and Taj Mahal have been playing their music for over half a century. Taj is approaching seven decades. We throw the term ‘legend’ rather casually these days, but these two have long attained that status. A successful collaboration almost inevitably leads to a second, so we are here eight years later from 2017’s TajMo to Room on the Porch. When one carefully listens, the history of Black American music unfolds over just ten tracks. These two trust their instinct,s and their artistry is well-rounded and rather boundless.
This time, there’s more original material with six co-writes, a tune from Taj, two from contemporary writers, and one old blues chestnut. Taj sings on most tracks, but he brings out his trusty ukulele several times and his resonator on the uncluttered closing duet, Jontavious Willis’ “Rough Time Blues.” Meanwhile, Keb’ Mo’ digs deep into his bag for an array of acoustic and electric guitars, as well as banjo, mandolin, steel drum, harmonica, and percussion. Few guests join in, such as two-time Grammy Song of the Year nominee Ruby Amanfu and soulful Memphis vocalist Wendy Moten. Several other ‘name’ artists contribute instrumentally, but a core group renders most tracks.
They open with the title track that they co-wrote with Amanfu. The joyous lyrics are sung by all three in English and French, with Jenee Fleenor’s violin giving it an irresistible sway and a bit of a Cajun feel. (“Come on up, there’s room on the porch for everyone”). The co-written “My Darling My Dear” is an honest, straightforward love song with a porch like feel via Keb’ Mo’s banjo and octave mandolin with each trading verses of the relatively simple lyrics, this verse as a prime example – “You make my heart go crazy/My first and second line/You’re a yes, not a maybe/ A song, a perfect rhyme.” The vintage blues chestnut “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out’ follows, a tune that’s been covered by hundreds of artists. They dramatically change the phrasing, and with the three background vocalists and church-like organ, turn it into an uplifting gospel hymn rather than a mournful, down-in-the-dumps blues. Even Keb’ Mo’s electric guitar solo exudes joy rather than pain. It epitomizes how these two can transform a well-known song to put their definitive stamp on it.
Taj takes the lead vocal on another co-write, the shuffling “She Keeps Me Movin’,” this time with four background vocalists that fuse gospel and R&B into a standard blues structure with Keb’ Mo’s electric guitar adding a sting to the otherwise upbeat vibe. Their collaborative “Make Up Your Mind” has a Caribbean sheen, each playing acoustic guitars, Mo’ on steel drum and harmonica, Taj on percussion, and even a vibraphone in the mix. It’s another uplifting song with the background vocalists emphasizing the four words in the title encouragingly. The prevailing message of their co-write “Thicker Than Mud’ is to value family (“Blood is thicker than mud”) over a foot-tapping groove and deceptively simple rhyming lyrics.
Swirrling B3 introduces “Junkyard Dog,” written by Nashville’s singer-songwriter Maia Sharp from her 2021 Mercy Rising. Here just Taj and Keb’ Mo’ sing without the benefit of background vocalists, a track where their synergy is remarkable. Taj’s “Blues’ll Give You Back Your Soul” has a Jimmy Reed feel along with the 50’s R&B tenor sax sound of Jeff Coffin. “Better Than Ever” is yet another collaborative upbeat love song infused with percolating percussion, Wendy Moten’s distinctive background vocal, and harmonica from BMA winner Billy Branch. While most of the preceding are relatively smooth, “Rough Time Blues” is as raw as it gets, truly porch-like.
Room on the Porch will inevitably be labeled a blues album, yet it’s a mingling of cultural influences and genres that only these two iconic artists could produce.
