Taj Mahal's second album, recorded in the spring and fall of 1968, opens with more stripped-down Delta-style blues in the manner of his debut, but adds a little more amplification (partly courtesy of
Al Kooper on organ) before moving into wholly bigger sound on numbers like
"She Caught the Katy and Left Me a Mule to Ride" and
"The Cuckoo" -- the latter, in particular, features crunchy electric and acoustic guitars and
Gary Gilmore playing his bass almost like a lead instrument, like a bluesman's answer to
John Entwistle. Most notable, however, may be
"You Don't Miss Your Water ('Til Your Well Runs Dry)" and
"Ain't That a Lot of Love," which offer
Taj Mahal working in the realm of soul and treading onto
Otis Redding territory. This is particularly notable on
"You Don't Miss Your Water," which achieves the intensity of a gospel performance and comes complete with a
Stax/
Volt-style horn arrangement by
Jesse Ed Davis that sounds more like the real thing than the real thing.
"Ain't That a Lot of Love," by contrast, is driven by a hard electric guitar sound and a relentless bass part that sounds like a more urgent version of the bassline from
the Spencer Davis Group's
"Gimme Some Lovin'." ~ Bruce Eder
