In February, Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ formally revived their celebrated TajMo collaboration by unveiling Room On The Porch, a sophomore effort set to release on May 23 via Concord Records. Today, the bluesmen have shared another side of their second act with the project’s second preview single, “Junkyard Dog.”
“This track is where this TajMo album began,” Keb’ Mo’ recalled in a statement. “I heard Maia Sharp’s version of ‘Junkyard Dog’ and I knew we could put some dirt on it and make it ours. It has the bones of a blues anthem.”
With their treatment, the blues masters bring out a new side of Sharp’s hard-hitting 2021 track. The grit and gravity hard-earned by both performers through decades of standard-bearing Americana is on full display here, framed by a weighty and carefully cut arrangement of wailing organs and gnashing percussion. It’s far removed from the uplifting down-home hospitality of the title track and another testament to the artists’ tremendous range.
TajMo’s second intergenerational meeting of the minds heavily emphasizes co-writes and is co-produced by the artists, leading to a work that evenhandedly builds on their strengths to create a whole greater than the sum of its already spectacular parts. Weaving together the many sonic traditions that the artists have tread in their careers–with strands of blues, folk, soul and more–the album’s roots in human connection and classic Americana narratives bloom to insightful and inspiring offerings.
“The two of us collaborating has always been a very organic thing,” Taj reflects. “We have different skill sets that go well together, and even though it’d been a while since we’d played together, it was easy to get back to that same creative place we landed with the first album.”
Alongside today’s second single, Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ have shared the details of a collaborative tour to celebrate the album’s release. From May 23 to June 15, the musicians will deliver 15 performances across the East Coast and Midwest, including a series kickoff from Nashville, Tenn.’s Grand Ole Opry and stops in New York, South Deerfield, Mass., Concord, N.H., Vienna, Va., Huber Heights, Ohio, Highland Park, Ill. and Detroit. Read on for the full list of tour dates, and visit tajblues.com and kebmo.com/ for tickets.
Room On The Porch is available to pre-order and pre-save now. Listen to “Junkyard Dog” and see the project’s full tracklist below.
Room On The Porch — TajMo:
1. Room On The Porch ft. Ruby Amanfu
2. My Darling My Dear
3. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out
4. She Keeps Me Movin’
5. Make Up Your Mind
6. Thicker Than Mud
7. Junkyard Dog
8. Blues’ll Give You Back Your Soul
9. Better Than Ever ft. Wendy Moten
10. Rough Time Blues