In less than 24 months,
Taj Mahal (guitars/vocals/banjo/harmonica) had issued the equivalent of four respective long-players. The electric
Giant Step (1968) was released alongside the acoustic and decidedly rural De Ole Folks at Home (1968). The nine cuts on
Giant Step feature support from the instrumental trio of
Jesse Ed Davis (guitar/keyboards),
Gary Gilmore (bass), and
Chuck Blackwell (drums). They back
Taj Mahal on a wide selection of covers ranging from
Carole King and
Gerry Goffin's "Take a Giant Step" to the upbeat and soulful reading of the
Huddie Ledbetter blues staple "Keep Your Hands Off Her." The arrangements are unique and offer the artist's distinctive approach. Nowhere is this more evident than the practically jovial midtempo "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" or the freewheeling abandon brought to the 18-wheeler anthem "Six Days on the Road"." Similarly, it recalls the version of "Ain't That a Lot of Love" from
Taj Mahal's preceding LP
Natch'l Blues (1968). Additionally,
Blind Willie Johnson's "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond" stands out with a strong and soaring gospel-flavored arrangement. The project concludes with "Bacon Fat," a number attributed here via
Garth Hudson and
Robbie Robertson of the
Band. That said, it may be better-known from the man they called Mr. Rhythm,
Andre Williams, whose scattered down-home spoken interludes punctuate his February 1957 Top Ten R&B hit -- which incidentally was created under the working title "Diddle, Diddle Womp, Womp." Parties searching for an apt introduction when discovering
Taj Mahal's voluminous catalog are encouraged to consider
Giant Step as a highly recommended reference point. ~ Lindsay Planer