University of Virginia Library

Taj Mahal — 'Giant Step'

By Carl Erickson

In case you are not familiar with
the name (in relation to music at
least), Taj Mahal is the name of a
singer in a blues group which goes
by the same name. Taj Mahal, the
man, is the lone vocalist in the
group, He sings with a husky black
voice which is reminiscent of
Mississippi John Hurt.

Their latest release is a double
album entitled "Take a Giant
Step"/"De Old Folks at Home."
The "giant step" the group has
taken is back towards country
blues. There are no long guitar riffs,
no special effects (no one uses a
violin bow), and no heavy instrumentality.
The music is straight and
simple, for the most art light and
frolicky but now and then
melancholy.

On the first album, "Take a
Giant Step," the group is still
traversing the bridge to old time
blues. The music is electric but not
heavy. The opening tune is a short
whimsical piece entitled "Ain't
Gwine Whistle Dixie Anymo' " in
which Taj Mahal casually whistles
along with the music. The title song
follows in which the listener is
beckoned to "take a giant step
outside your mind" back to
yesterday. Once again the music is
not complex. The guitar is played
coaxingly and the drums are felt
and not heard. "Good Morning
Little School Girl" is another
strong cut on the first album. This
is not the "School Girl" which Ten
Years After drives through in
"Ssssh." Jesse Edwin Davis' happy
piano dominates along with, of
course, Taj Mahal's raspy voice. A
gospel tune, "You're Goon Need
Somebody on your bond," written
by Buffy St. Marie, follows. Taj
Mahal sings it well. Unfortunately
his voice is a little too "soul"
oriented. His singing is of the urban
r & b variety while the song calls
for a more spiritualistic tone. One
of the most powerful cuts on "Take
a Giant Step" is "Bacon Fat", a
straight blues number written by
Jaime Robbie Robertson and Garth
Hudson from The Band. The song
has a raunchy beat which compels
the listener to do a little "boppin"
across the room.

In the second album "De Ole
Folks at Home" Taj Mahal gets
down to the nitty gritty of blues
and country. Taj Mahal is all alone
here doing "vocals, harmonica,
guitar, banjo, jive." The music
which emerges is truly black. His
voice takes on new dimensions of
feeling. He plays on the line of the
old blues masters, Leadbelly, Hurt,
Broonzy et al.

The album opens up with "Linin
Track," a Leadbelly number which
Taj Mahal sings with as much
feeling as one can expect from a
black man born after the
Depression. "Wild Ox Moan"
follows and Taj Mahal does indeed
moan out the lyrics. The most
amusing song on the album is a
piece entitled "A Little Soulful
Tune." There is no instrumental
accompaniment. It consists of
dancing grunts and groans
accompanied by the slapping of
knees punctuated with quick gasps
of breath and a brief monologue of
explanation. It is happy and
whimsical, filled with childlike fun.

Taj Mahal follows this up with a
rendition of "Candy Man"
tastefully backed up with a
fluttering banjo. He uses an old
Mississippi John Hurt trick on the
next song "Cluck Old Hen." He
uses a monologue about chickens
and hens and then allows his banjo
to imitate the clucking and cackling
of the hens. He is not as successful
as Hurt but the playing is good and
pleasant to listen to.

Lloyd Price's "Stagger Lee" is
also found on the second album.
The arrangement is original and
tasteful. Once again, Taj Mahal's
voice adds new dimensions to the
song.

"Take a Giant Step"/"De Ole
Folks at Home" turns out to be a
refreshing change from the heavy
blues constantly encountered on
"progressive rock" stations. Its
simplicity, Taj Mahal's down home
voice, and the excellent
musicianship all add up to a record
which should not simply fade away
into the dust collector's shelf as it
might well do. It should be played
over and over again and enjoyed.