Columbia/Legacy
's 2000 collection
The Best of Taj Mahal
is a first-rate overview of
Taj Mahal
's classic late-'60s/early-'70s work for
Columbia
. Spanning 17 tracks, including a previously unreleased cut
"Sweet Mama Janisse"
from 1970, this hits many of the key points from the records he released between 1967 and 1974, including
"Statesboro Blues,"
"Leaving Trunk,'
"She Caught the Katy and Left Me a Mule to Ride,"
and
"Fishin Blues."
Although his albums were constructed and worked as actual albums, this does an excellent job of summarizing these thematic affairs and functions as a nice introduction to
Mahal
's music. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine