Sacred Island | ||||
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Studio album by Taj Mahal | ||||
Released | 1998 | |||
Recorded | 1997 | |||
Studio | Messenger Studios, Hawaii | |||
Genre | Blues, world fusion | |||
Length | 44:52 | |||
Label | Private Music | |||
Producer | Carey Williams | |||
Taj Mahal chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Edmonton Journal | |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | |
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide |
Sacred Island is an album by the American blues/world artist Taj Mahal and the Hawaiian music group the Hula Blues Band, released in 1998.
The album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Blues Albums chart.
Production
"Coconut Man" is a rewrite of the Toots Hibbert song "Monkey Man"; "Betty and Dupree" is a cover of the Chuck Willis song.
Critical reception
The Edmonton Journal wrote that "the sounds of tenor, baritone, and Liliu ukuleles, Hawaiian steel guitar, pan pipes and slack-key guitars combine with the main man's National dobro and harmonica to create a wonderful musical trip thru the islands." The Dayton Daily News thought that "a gentle Calypso backbeat snakes its way through the project, creating a warm, laid-back, breezy feel." The San Diego Union-Tribune noted "the shock of hearing first song: 'The New Calypsonians' sounds a bit like a gruff-voiced Mose Allison singing reggae at Don Ho's lounge."
Track listing
All tracks composed by Taj Mahal; except where indicated
- "The Calypsonians"
- "Coconut Man" (Frederic Hibbert)
- "Sacred Island (Moku La'a)"
- "Betty and Dupree" (Chuck Willis)
- "The New Hula Blues"
- "No Na Mamo" (Carlos Andrade)
- "Mailbox Blues"
- "Kanikapila" (Mahal, Rudy Costa, Kester Smith, Pancho Graham)
References
- Daly, Mike (7 Jan 1999). "SACRED ISLAND, Taj Mahal and the Hula Blues Band". The Age. Green Guide. p. 18.
- Morris, Chris (Dec 26, 1998). "The year in blues". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 52. p. YE94.
- ^ "Sacred Island - Taj Mahal, Taj Mahal & the Hula Blues Band | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
- ^ North, Peter (5 July 1998). "Time to check out Taj Mahal again". Edmonton Journal. p. C6.
- Larkin, Colin (May 27, 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958 – via Google Books.
- Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. p. 625. ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.
- Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (October 23, 2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743201698 – via Google Books.
- "Taj Mahal". MTV News. Archived from the original on October 23, 2021.
- "Hula Blues Band". Billboard.
- Surowicz, Tom (September 4, 1998). "Music: Taj Mahal". Star Tribune. p. 12E.
- Tarradell, Mario (August 6, 1998). "Taj Mahal & the Hula Blues Band, Sacred Island". The Dallas Morning News. p. 5C.
- Kraus, Fred (28 Aug 1998). "RECORDINGS ON REVIEW". Dayton Daily News. Go!. p. 19.
- Toombs, Mikel (April 16, 1998). "ALBUM REVIEWS - BLUES". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Entertainment. p. 21.