Giant Step/De Ole Folks at Home in Bloomington, MN

In less than 24 months,
Taj Mahal
(guitars/vocals/banjo/harmonica) had issued the equivalent of four respective long-players. The electric
Giant Step
(1968) was released alongside the acoustic and decidedly rural
De Ole Folks at Home
(1968). The nine cuts on
feature support from the instrumental trio of
Jesse Ed Davis
(guitar/keyboards),
Gary Gilmore
(bass), and
Chuck Blackwell
(drums). They back
on a wide selection of covers ranging from
Carole King
and
Gerry Goffin
's
"Take a Giant Step"
to the upbeat and soulful reading of the
Huddie Ledbetter
blues staple
"Keep Your Hands Off Her."
The arrangements are unique and offer the artist's distinctive approach. Nowhere is this more evident than the practically jovial midtempo
"Good Morning Little Schoolgirl"
or the freewheeling abandon brought to the 18-wheeler anthem
"Six Days on the Road"."
Similarly, it recalls the version of
"Ain't That a Lot of Love"
from
's preceding LP
Natch'l Blues
(1968). Additionally,
Blind Willie Johnson
"You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond"
stands out with a strong and soaring gospel-flavored arrangement. The project concludes with
"Bacon Fat,"
a number attributed here via
Garth Hudson
Robbie Robertson
of the
Band
. That said, it may be better-known from the man they called Mr. Rhythm,
Andre Williams
, whose scattered down-home spoken interludes punctuate his February 1957 Top Ten R&B hit -- which incidentally was created under the working title "Diddle, Diddle Womp, Womp." Parties searching for an apt introduction when discovering
's voluminous catalog are encouraged to consider
as a highly recommended reference point. ~ Lindsay Planer