Taj Mahal + Keb’ Mo’ (TajMo) announce their new album (out May 23 via Concord Records), featuring the title track with Ruby Amanfu. Pre-order the album now and catch them on tour starting this spring!
TajMo, the historic partnership between two icons of American music, is back. Room on the Porch marks the duo’s first full-length offering since their 2017 debut, which skyrocketed them from unforgettable performances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert – joined by Jon Batiste -to the GRAMMY stage, where they earned the Best Contemporary Blues Album award. “We’re just trying to keep the culture moving forward,” said Taj Mahal in their acceptance speech that year.
On reuniting with Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’ jokes, “That first album turned out so great that part of me wondered if maybe we just got lucky. But when we got back into the studio together, I felt that same magic again, and I realized it wasn’t luck at all.”
With more original co-written songs than ever before, Room On The Porch boasts a tracklist brimming with the creative synergy between Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’, who also co-produced the album together. The result is a collection that genuinely represents the spirit of both blues legends. On the album’s title track, TajMo teams up with 2x Song of the Year GRAMMY nominee, recording artist, and songwriter Ruby Amanfu. Their collaboration offers a timely anthem of friendship and unity in an often divided world: “Stay as long as you like / That’s alright…Come on up / There’s room on the porch for everyone.”
Of the track, Taj shares: This song started out as a little guitar piece I used to play by myself after shows when I was still wired from the stage. I shared it with everybody in the studio, and then Keb’ and Ruby Amanfu built this whole beautiful song around it.”
Their vast array musical styles are all intricately intertwined by their shared origins. “If you remove the African influence from Western music over the past 500 years, almost nothing remains,” says Taj Mahal, who was recently honored with the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award. “Even though it may feel like we’re exploring a variety of genres, to me, it’s all about reconnecting with the music of our ancestors and their ongoing impact on the present.”
In 2025, Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ will hit the road once again with their dynamic TajMo live show, following their individual spring performances—Taj gracing the stages of JazzFest, Big Ears, and Luck Reunion, while Keb’ co-headlines the Ryman Auditorium.
The duo will celebrate Room On The Porch in over a dozen cities across the United States, beginning with a special appearance at the Grand Ole Opry (joined by Ruby Amanfu), before their first headline show together at New York’s Town Hall on May 28.
Room On The Porch Tracklist
1. Room On The Porch ft. Ruby Amanfu
2. My Darling My Dear
3. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out
4. She Keeps Me Movin’
5. Make Up Your Mind
6. Thicker Than Mud
7. Junkyard Dog
8. Blues’ll Give You Back Your Soul
9. Better Than Ever ft. Wendy Moten
10. Rough Time Blues
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