Detailed item info | Track listing | 1. Happy Just To Be Like I Am 2. Stealin' 3. Oh Susanna 4. Eighteen Hammers 5. Tomorrow May Not Be Your Day 6. Chevrolet 7. West Indian Revelation 8. Black Spirit Boogie
| | Details | | Contributing artists: | Andy Narell | | Distributor: | Infinity Entertainment Gr | | Recording type: | Studio | | Recording mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
| | Album notes | Personnel: Taj Mahal (vocals, guitars, banjo, mandolin, fife, harmonica, penny whistle); Hoshal Wright, Jesse Edwin Davis (guitars); Howard Johnson (tuba, baritone saxophone); Joseph Daley (tuba, trombone); Earle McIntyre (tuba, bass trombone); Bob Stewart (tuba, flugelhorn); John Simon (keyboards); Bill Rich (bass); James Charles Otey, Jr. (drums); Kwasi "Rocky" Dzidzournu, Andy Narell (percussion). Recorded at Pacific Recording Studios, San Mateo, California. HAPPY JUST TO BE LIKE I AM was out of print for some time, and it often falls between the cracks when Taj Mahal's early recordings are assessed, but this 1971 album is a prime example of the unique stylistic fusion Taj was going for on his early-'70s releases. It's a joyful collision of old-time jug-band music ("Stealin'"), folk ("Oh Susanna"), blues, and steel-drum-driven Caribbean sounds ("West Indian Revelation"). Holding the whole thing together, as always, is Taj's rich, soulful vocal style, not to mention his visceral acoustic fingerpicking approach. HAPPY JUST TO BE LIKE I AM stands as an unjustly overlooked entry in Taj Mahal's catalog, worthy of a reassessment.
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