Sacred Island

Sacred Island is an album by the American blues/world artist Taj Mahal and the Hawaiian music group the Hula Blues Band, released in 1998.[3][8]

Sacred Island
Studio album by
Taj Mahal
Released1998
Recorded1997[1]
StudioMessenger Studios, Hawaii
GenreBlues, world fusion
Length44:52
LabelPrivate Music[2]
ProducerCarey Williams
Taj Mahal chronology
Señor Blues
(1997)		 Sacred Island
(1998)		 In Progress & In Motion: 1965-1998
(1998)
Alternative cover
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Edmonton Journal[4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[5]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[6]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]

The album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Blues Albums chart.[9]

Production

"Coconut Man" is a rewrite of the Toots Hibbert song "Monkey Man"; "Betty and Dupree" is a cover of the Chuck Willis song.[10][11]

Critical reception

The Edmonton Journal wrote that "the sounds of tenor, baritone, and Liliu ukuleles, Hawaiian steel guitar, pan pipes and slack-key guitars combine with the main man's National dobro and harmonica to create a wonderful musical trip thru the islands."[4] The Dayton Daily News thought that "a gentle Calypso backbeat snakes its way through the project, creating a warm, laid-back, breezy feel."[12] The San Diego Union-Tribune noted "the shock of hearing [the] first song: 'The New Calypsonians' sounds a bit like a gruff-voiced Mose Allison singing reggae at Don Ho's lounge."[13]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Taj Mahal; except where indicated

  1. "The Calypsonians"
  2. "Coconut Man" (Frederic Hibbert)
  3. "Sacred Island (Moku La'a)"
  4. "Betty and Dupree" (Chuck Willis)
  5. "The New Hula Blues"
  6. "No Na Mamo" (Carlos Andrade)
  7. "Mailbox Blues"
  8. "Kanikapila" (Mahal, Rudy Costa, Kester Smith, Pancho Graham)

References
  1. Daly, Mike (7 Jan 1999). "SACRED ISLAND, Taj Mahal and the Hula Blues Band". The Age. Green Guide. p. 18.
  2. Morris, Chris (Dec 26, 1998). "The year in blues". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 52. p. YE94.
  3. "Sacred Island - Taj Mahal, Taj Mahal & the Hula Blues Band | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  4. North, Peter (5 July 1998). "Time to check out Taj Mahal again". Edmonton Journal. p. C6.
  5. Larkin, Colin (May 27, 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958 – via Google Books.
  6. Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. p. 625. ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.
  7. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (October 23, 2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743201698 – via Google Books.
  8. "Taj Mahal". MTV News.
  9. "Hula Blues Band". Billboard.
  10. Surowicz, Tom (September 4, 1998). "Music: Taj Mahal". Star Tribune. p. 12E.
  11. Tarradell, Mario (August 6, 1998). "Taj Mahal & the Hula Blues Band, Sacred Island". The Dallas Morning News. p. 5C.
  12. Kraus, Fred (28 Aug 1998). "RECORDINGS ON REVIEW". Dayton Daily News. Go!. p. 19.
  13. Toombs, Mikel (April 16, 1998). "ALBUM REVIEWS - BLUES". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Entertainment. p. 21.
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