Two blues legends get together for a fun and funky summit meeting on this album, as Taj Mahal and Keb Mo’ trade licks, vocals and stories on this album that focuses more on modern grooves than old time picking and grinning.
Once you get past that single caveat, the albums works well. Lizz Wright makes it a trio along with harpist Lee Oskar on the evocative “Om Sweet Om” and Joe Walsh adds a hip guitar solo to Phil Madeira’s smoky B3 on the Chitlin’ Circuit inspired “Shake Me In Your Arms.” There’s a lot of fun boogie on material like “She Knows How to Rock Me” and the two guys have lots of fun with The Who’s piece “Squeeze Box” with another solo by Walsh, while the two get most cozy and back porch intimate on the delta queen “Diving Duck Blues.” More poppish R&B is presented with a full band and Chester Thompson at the drums during “All Around The Work” and some South African celebrations fill up the Cecil B. Demille cast on “Soul” with the album closing on John Mayer’s anthem “Waiting On The World to Change” with Bonnie Raitt adding some extra vocal texture. A bit polished, but it makes the chrome on the vintage Buick shine all the brighter.