Sacred Island
1998 studio album by Taj Mahal
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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 | ||||
| Released | 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1997[1] | |||
| Studio | Messenger Studios, Hawaii | |||
| Genre | Blues, world fusion | |||
| Length | 44:52 | |||
| Label | Private Music[2] | |||
| Producer | Carey Williams | |||
| Taj Mahal chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| 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
- "The Calypsonians"
- "Coconut Man" (Frederic Hibbert)
- "Sacred Island (Moku La'a)"
- "Betty and Dupree" (Chuck Willis)
- "The New Hula Blues"
- "No Na Mamo" (Carlos Andrade)
- "Mailbox Blues"
- "Kanikapila" (Mahal, Rudy Costa, Kester Smith, Pancho Graham)