Sacred Island

AMG Review of Sacred Island

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

Taj Mahal experienced something of a renaissance in the '90s, turning out a series of surprisingly strong records for Private Music. Since the albums were a success, it gave him the opportunity to make Sacred Island, a collection of Hawaiian music and Hawaiian-flavored blues. Even though there are a couple of weak moments, it works better than you might think, since Taj Mahal has never been a blues purist. As a result, it's an interesting detour that longtime fans will find fascinating.