Word: natch
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...GROWS Taj Mahal is achieving more by putting out less. From its first song his new album relaxes, and leaves the walls of sound around which he wrote The Natch'l Blues for a looser and quieter feel. Taj cuts his voice so far down in volume that he sounds like Mississippi John Hurt, crooning, bending the pitch, working hoarsely against the instruments' rhythmic line. While he becomes more reserved in volume and tone, he is getting more expressive in range and rhythm...
...Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond," the strongest song Taj has recorded, begins with two quiet vocal stanzas. It discards the conventional big-band blues structure which starts solidly and builds gradually to a big brassy climax and cuts rapidly out-like "Corinna," the finest song on The Natch'l Blues. Taj interrupts the words of "You're Gonna Need" after only two stanzas for purely melodic development on his harmonica. That's early to cut off your verse-development and go into formal elaboration. Taj on harmonica builds to a climax rhythmically and melodically-but not in volume-then...