1. Scratch My Back - 4:20 2. Never Let You Go - 4:43 3. Dust Me Down - 3:28 4. Further on Down the Road - 4:47 5. Black Man, Brown Man - 3:52 6. Zanzibar - 5:52 7. TV Mama - 3:43 8. I Can Make You Happy - 4:59 9. Slow Drag - 6:33 10. Hello Josephine - 4:48 11. Strong Man Holler - 5:49 12. Diddy Wah Diddy - 4:36 Editorial Reviews: The list of special guests who appear on Taj Mahal's Maestro is hardly what one would expect from a veteran bluesman. Among the special guests are Ziggy Marley, Los Lobos, Ben Harper, and African pop vocalist Angélique Kidjo -- not exactly a conventional blues lineup. But then, Mahal is hardly a conventional blues artist. He has been providing eclectic, far-reaching albums for a long time, and that spirit of adventure is alive and well on this 2008 release (which marks his 40th year as a recording artist -- Mahal provided his first album in 1968). No one expects Mahal's albums to be the work of a blues purist; in fact, Mahal (who plays guitar, harmonica, banjo, and ukulele on Maestro) is the opposite of a blues purist. While Maestro has its share of electric blues, the veteran singer also gets into everything from soul ("Further on Down the Road") and early R&B (Fats Domino's "Hello Josephine") to reggae ("Black Man, Brown Man," "Never Let You Go") and African pop ("Zanzibar"). The latter features Kidjo on lead vocals and Toumani Diabaté on the kora (a traditional African instrument), while Los Lobos appear on "Never Let You Go" and the humorous "TV Mama" (which is among the disc's straight-ahead blues offerings). Mahal, true to form, is all over the place stylistically on this 57-minute CD -- and yet, Maestro never sounds the least bit unfocused. Being eclectic comes naturally to Mahal, who sees to it that Maestro is a consistently engaging celebration of his 40th year as a recording artist. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
Format: CD Release Date: 9/30/2008 UPC: 05336131642 Item ID: 1014385 Studio: HEADS UP ProductID: HUP3164.2 Angélique Kidjo (Guest Appearance, Vocals) Baron Wolman (Photography) Bill Rich (Bass) Billy Branch (Harmonica) C.C. White (Vocals (Background)) Carlton "Santa" Davis (Drums) Cesar Rosas (Guitar) Conrad Lozano (Bass) Cougar Estrada (Drums) Danny Kalb (Engineer) Darrell Leonard (Trombonium, Trumpet) David Hidalgo (Guitar) Debra Dobkin (Percussion) Deva Mahal (Vocals (Background)) George Horn (Mastering) George Porter, Jr. (Bass) Gordie Johnson (Engineer, Producer) Ivan Neville (Organ (Hammond)) Jason Mozersky (Guitar) Jason Yates (Keyboards) Jay Blakesberg (Photography) Jean Hébrail (Vocal Producer) Jesse Ingalls (Bass) Joe McGrath (Engineer, Mixing) Joe Sublett (Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor)) Johnny Lee Schell (Engineer, Guitar, Producer) Kester Smith (Drums, Percussion) Larry Fulcher (Bass) Leo Nocentelli (Guitar) Louie Pérez (Jarana) Marc Moreau (Engineer) Mark Johnson (Engineer) Michael Crook (Photography) Michael Hyde (Keyboards) Michael Jerome (Drums, Percussion) Mick Weaver (Keyboards, Organ (Hammond)) Pebbles Phillips (Vocals (Background)) Robert Carranza (Vocal Recording) Rudy Costa (Sax (Alto)) Steve Berlin (Organ, Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor)) Taj Mahal (Banjo, Guitar, Harmonica, Producer, Ukulele, Vocals) Takeshi Akimoto (Guitar) Tony Braunagel (Drums) Toumani Diabaté (Kora) Tracy Hazzard (Vocals (Background)) Warren Haynes (Producer) Ziggy Marley (Guest Appearance, Vocals)