| Blues |
Two Great Artists, One Monumental Album: Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ Return with “Room on the Porch”.
When two musical titans like Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ first joined forces in 2017 to release TajMo, it felt like lightning in a bottle, an unexpected collision of musical worlds that somehow fit perfectly. And then, silence. For seven years, fans were left wondering whether the magic of that first album was a one-time alignment of stars. But with the release of Room on the Porch, recorded in Nashville and co-produced by the duo themselves, it’s clear: the alchemy is real, and it still burns brightly.
“This first album was so good that a part of me wondered if we’d just gotten lucky,” Keb’ Mo’ says with a laugh in the press materials. “I always thought it was a one-off. But when we went back into the studio, I felt the same magic, and realized it wasn’t luck at all.”
Room on the Porch is a testament to timeless artistry. These are songs with roots—deep, tangled roots in the soil of American music. Blues, jazz, folk, country: the album doesn’t flirt with genres, it inhabits them, fuses them, bends them into something richer. The result is music that feels both historic and startlingly new. These are tracks woven with joy, warmth, and the kind of human connection that can only come from lived experience.
Taj Mahal’s lived experience in music began in 1961 with the group The Elektras. By the 1970s, he was scoring for film and television, including a memorable turn on Saturday Night Live in 1976 and the 1977 film Brothers. His discography is vast and peppered with milestones too numerous to list—hits, collaborations, awards. In 2023, he released Savoy, a luminous collection of jazz, soul, and blues that received widespread acclaim, including heavy rotation on jazz stations like Bayou Blue Radio.
Keb’ Mo’, meanwhile, has carved out a place of his own, a bluesman deeply attuned to jazz, whose melodies exude poetic grace. His lyrics often read like literary vignettes, occasionally evoking writers such as Paul Auster. With a stage presence as commanding as his pen, he has built a career of remarkable depth, never compromising on quality. And yet, even he is humbled by working alongside Taj.
Though their collaborative discography began only in 2017, the connection between them reaches back decades. “Taj Mahal has always been one of my favorite artists,” says Keb’. “I first heard his music during my senior year of high school. It stuck with me. His playing got imprinted on my psyche.”
The process of working together brought their differences into high relief,differences that only added depth to the final product. “Taj writes very spontaneously, and I’m more of a planner,” Keb’ admits. “It was a whole new way of working for me. Honestly, it was a little scary. But I figured that if we surrounded ourselves with talented people and trusted each other, something special would happen. And that’s exactly what it did.”
Indeed, their trust extends to family: both musicians brought their sons into the studio for Room on the Porch, joining a rotating cast of gifted singers, writers, and instrumentalists. The result is less a record than a living, breathing session of musical communion.
“Our collaboration has always been organic,” says Taj. “We have different skill sets that complement each other. Even though it had been a while since we played together, it was easy to get back to that same creative place we found with the first album.”
The opening track sets the tone immediately, sung in both English and French, a reminder that the French language, though a rarity in American music, still pulses quietly in unexpected places. It’s a graceful gesture, fitting for an album steeped in respect, ancestry, and the global roots of Black American music.
“If you remove the African imprint from Western music over the past 500 years,” Taj reflects, “you’re left with almost nothing. Even though it feels like we’re touching all these different genres, I think we’re really just connecting with the music of our ancestorsand how their influence still echoes today. That’s what gives me energy. That’s what excites me.”
There is no neutral, detached critique to offer here. Room on the Porch is less a product to review than a space to inhabit. It offers a sense of place, historical, cultural, spiritual. It pays homage to the evolution of Black music, and it tells a story only these two men could tell. It’s not just a collaboration; it’s a communion.
One can only hope they keep making music together. Perhaps Keb’ Mo’s recent performances with singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin signal other exciting partnerships to come. But for now, Room on the Porch is enough. It’s a masterclass in grace, groove, and deep listening, a gift from two masters who, decades in, are still finding new ways to sing.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, May 9th 2025
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Room on the Porch ft. Ruby Amanfu (4:05)
(Kevin R. Moore, Henry St Claire Fredericks, Jr., Ruby Amanfu, Ahmen Mahal)
Keb Note (BMI)/ Downtown DMP Songs (BMI)/ Like Butta Baby Music (BMI/APRA/ASCAP)
Taj Mahal – vocals
Keb’ Mo’ – acoustic guitar, resonator guitar, vocals
Ruby Amanfu – vocals
David Rodgers – Hammond organ, synthesizer
Brian Allen – upright bass
Roosevelt – drums
Jenee Fleenor – violin
Robbie Brooks Moore – background vocals
My Darling My Dear (3:58)
(Kevin R. Moore, Henry St Claire Fredericks Jr., K. Roosevelt, Colin Linden, Ahmen Mahal)
Keb Note (BMI)/ Downtown DMP Songs (BMI)/ Warner Chappell (BMI)/ Colin Linden Publishing (SOCAN/ APRA/ ASCAP)
Keb’ Mo’ – acoustic guitar, slide guitar, banjo, octave mandolin, percussion, vocals
Jimmy Nichols – Hammond organ
Anton Nesbit – bass
Taj Mahal, Lauren Lucas – background vocals
Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out (3:42)
(Jimmy Cox) – Universal Music Corp.
Keb’ Mo’ – electric guitar, vocals
Taj Mahal – vocals
Jimmy Nichols – Hammond organ, Wurlitzer
Brian Allen – upright bass
Keio Stroud – drums
Michael B. Hicks, Ron Poindexter, Gene Miller – background vocals
She Keeps Me Movin’ (4:01)
(Kevin R. Moore, Henry St. Claire Fredericks Jr., John Oates)
Keb Note (BMI), Downtown DMP Songs (BMI), OatesShui (BMI)
Keb’ Mo’ – electric guitar, vocals
Taj Mahal – vocals
David Rodgers – Hammond organ
Brian Allen – bass
Roosevelt – drums
John Oates, Michael B. Hicks, Ron Poindexter, Gene Miller – background vocals
Make Up Your Mind (4:40)
(Kevin R. Moore, Henry St. Claire Fredericks Jr.,K. Roosevelt, Ahmen Mahal)
Keb Note (BMI), Downtown DMP (BMI/ APRA/ ASCAP)
Keb’ Mo’ – acoustic guitar, steel drum, harmonica, vocals
Taj Mahal – percussion, acoustic guitar, vocals
David Rodgers – Hammond organ, synth
Brian Allen – bass
Roosevelt – drums, vibraphone
Michael B. Hicks, Ron Poindexter, Gene Miller – background vocals
Thicker Than Mud (4:38)
(Kevin R. Moore, Henry St. Claire Fredericks Jr., Colin Linden, K. Roosevelt)
Keb Note (BMI), Downtown DMP Songs (BMI), Colin Linden Publishing (SOCAN), Warner Chappell Pub. (BMI)
Keb’ Mo’ – acoustic and electric guitar, vocals
Taj Mahal – vocals
Jimmy Nichols – Hammond organ
Anton Nesbitt – bass
Roosevelt – drums
Michael B. Hicks, Ron Poindexter, Gene Miller – background vocals
Junkyard Dog (4:20)
(Gabriel Barry Dixon, Maia Sari Sharp, Park Chisolm)
Me Gusta 30 Music obo Spark Lark Music/ Me Gusta 30 Music obo Spark Chisolm Music/ Crooked Crown Music/ Kobalt Music Publishing America Inc. obo Third and Verse Boulevard
Keb’ Mo’ – acoustic, electric and resonator guitar, vocals
Taj Mahal – vocals
David Rodgers – Hammond organ and synthesizer
Anton Nesbitt – bass
Roosevelt – drums
Blues’ll Give You Back Your Soul (4:47)
(Henry St. Claire Fredericks Jr.) – Downtown DMP Songs (BMI)
Keb’ Mo’ – electric guitar, vocals
Taj Mahal – ukulele, vocals
David Rodgers, Hammond organ
Brian Allen – upright bass
Jeff Coffin – saxophone
Roosevelt – drums
Better Than Ever ft. Wendy Moten (5:03)
(Kevin R. Moore, Henry St Claire Fredericks Jr., Wendy Moten, Ahmen Mahal)
Keb Note (BMI), Downtown DMP Songs (BMI), Radioeye Music (BMI/ APRA/ ASCAP)
Keb’ Mo’ – acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, percussion, vocals
Taj Mahal – ukulele, vocals
David Rodgers – Hammond organ, synthesizer
Roosevelt – bass
Roosevelt – drums
Billy Branch – harmonica
Wendy Moten, Lauren Lucas – background vocals
Rough Time Blues (4:31)
(Jontavious Willis) – Jontavious Willis Music, LLC (ASCAP)
Keb’ Mo’ – acoustic guitar, vocals
Taj Mahal – resonator guitar, vocals
Produced by Keb’ Mo’ and Taj Mahal
Recorded by Zach Allen at Stu Stu Studio, Franklin TN and Casey Wasner at Addiction Sound Studios, Nashville, TN
Additional Engineering: Bobby Louden and David Kalmusky
2nd Engineers at Addiction Sound Studios: David Shivers and Ross Collier
Additional Vocals for Keb’ Mo’ recorded by Jeff M. Bates at Kona Studios, Redondo Beach, CA
Billy Branch’s harmonica recorded by Brian Leach at Joy Ride Studios, Chicago, IL
Mixed by Zach Allen at Stu Stu Studio, Franklin, TN
Mastered by Richard Dodd at richarddodd.com, Nashville, TN
Photography: David McCallister
TajMo Logo Designed by Melissa Wood
Package Design: John Oates appears courtesy of Jasper Productions, Inc. d/b/a PS Records