Keb' Mo' and Taj Mahal have been friends and colleagues for years but 2017's TajMo is the first time the pair have recorded an album. It also marks the first time Taj Mahal has entered a studio since 2008 – Keb' Mo' last released an album in 2014 – and if this seems like it should be a momentous occasion, what's striking about TajMo is how casual the whole affair is. The duo designed TajMo to be an upbeat, life-affirming listen, something that emphasizes how the blues can also offer a good time. If the album can occasionally seem a little too crisp and polished – it's bright and shiny without a hint of grit – it's also true that this reflects the lightness at the heart of TajMo.
Pink isn't a color usually associated with blues but That Hot Pink Blues Album doesn't have a sound usually associated with Keb' Mo'. Sure, there are elements of the acoustic slide guitar that has been his signature since his 1994 debut, but the live album emphasizes his softer, soulful side, sometimes pairing the bluesman with sympathetic strings. In this respect, That Hot Pink Blues Album feels like a cousin to the mellow 2011 set The Reflection, but these 16 songs were cut on the 2015 supporting tour for 2014's BLUESAmericana, a record that was designed to touch on as many different American roots sounds as possible. Compared to that, That Hot Pink Blues Album is a little more streamlined, containing a dual focus on mellow grooves and sensitive reflections. He's attempted this in the studio, but his interpretations breathe and sigh on-stage, which is what makes That Hot Pink Blues Album warm and enveloping in a way few other Keb' Mo' records are.
Live album by one of the industry's most prestigious bass guitarists, and renowned producer, composer, author and session musician, Mo Foster. 'This session legend, and one-time Jeff Beck cohort, has thumbed his golden address book to assemble a sextet of undoubted virtuosity' - Andy Rawll, Record Collector. Once managed by Ronnie Scott, Foster is the legendary bass-guitarist, who has recorded and toured over the past 50 years with many of the world's biggest musical icons including Jeff Beck, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Gerry Rafferty, Van Morrison and George Martin.
Mighty Mo Rodgers (real name Maurice Rodgers) was born in Indiana where his father owned a club that featured blues performers. When Rodgers wasn't studying classical piano he was checking out the blues artists that played there. Growing up, Rodgers was deeply affected by the mid-'60s soul music from the Memphis-based Stax label. Using Stax as an influence, Rodgers started his first band while in high school called the Rocketeers. Upon entering Indiana State College, Rodgers fronted another band, the Maurice Rodgers Combo, playing Wurlitzer piano and incorporating originals with cover versions of popular songs from the era. He finally decided to quit college, move to L.A., and give music his full-time attention…
Good To Be is a sort of homecoming for the five-time Grammy Award winning artist, most recently for 2019’s Oklahoma. Having recently renovated his childhood home in Compton, CA the album is heavily inspired by his connection to both Compton and where he finds himself now at the intersection of Country and Americana in Nashville, TN. While it sonically contains the blues influence we come to expect, there’s a stronger country tinge thanks to production from country legend Vince Gil and help from Keb’s good friend Darius Rucker, who features on the first single “Good Strong Woman”.