When
Taj Mahal
and
Keb' Mo'
released
TajMo
in 2017 and toured the world, they fully intended it to be a one-off. Even as they resumed solo careers, neither could forget the merits of that partnership; they wondered if there was still magic between them in the studio.
Room on the Porch
answers in the affirmative. For the sake of creative possibility, they decided to write and record the material together in a studio. Over two weeks,
Mahal
,
Mo'
, and their chosen collaborators worked in a Nashville studio and emerged with
, a solid set of seven originals and three covers co-produced by the pair. It's an intimate, warm, informal album full of laid-back good vibes and great songs.
The title-track opener, co-written with vocalist
Ruby Amanfu
, is a good-time acoustic rag blues buoyed by B-3, upright bass, fiddle, and resonator guitars in a welcome to a new guest and friend. "My Darling My Dear" is a folk song sung by
with
on support vocals. Co-written with
Colin Linden
, this love song rivals any the pair have recorded -- together or separately: "A vision of pure beauty/You hold me like heaven's arms/Whisper the way, through your front door/Keeping me safe from harm." A fingerpicked banjo, mandolin, and resonator guitar are framed by a standup bass and an ambient B-3. Accompanied by a quartet, the duo deliver a stellar late-night read of
Jimmy Cox
's "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out." Sung in call-and-response, it melds jazz and jump blues with a glorious all-male backing chorus. "She Keeps Me Movin'," a polished modern blues, is a swinging finger-popper with the backing chorus aided by
John Oates
. "Make Up Your Mind" could have appeared on either man's solo albums. Co-writer
K. Roosevelt
's vibraphone adds a steelpan drum effect that gives the proceedings a breezy Caribbean flavor. "Junkyard Dog" was composed by
Maia Sharp
Gabriel Barry Dixon
, and
Park Chisolm
; it's a sonically buoyant, nocturnal electric blues with
handling all the guitars while duetting with
. It's slick, propulsive, and anthemic. Though "Blues'll Give You Back Your Soul" begins with
strumming a ukulele, a full blues quartet falls in behind him as he growls out a lounge blues while revealing the influence of
Jimmy Reed
. The choogling "Better Than Ever" is a gorgeous love song that shines due to
Wendy Moten
's soulful backing vocal,
Billy Branch
's harmonica, and bubbling hand percussion. "Rough Time Blues" is a poignant acoustic jam composed by
Jontavious Willis
. It's performed only by
on acoustic and resonator guitars as they trade vocals throughout and reflect on the late 1920s and the Depression as metaphors for the present day.
is a beautifully produced, modern, deep blues and roots album drenched in an all-inclusive Americana, generosity, and good vibes. ~ Thom Jurek