Taj Mahal & The Phantom Blues Band - Time

Album: Time
Size: 91,7 MB
Time: 39:43
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2026
Styles: Blues/Soul/Roots/Reggae mix
Art: Front

1. Life Of Love (3:36)
2. Wild About My Lovin' (5:44)
3. Crazy About A Jukebox (4:01)
4. Time (3:41)
5. You Put The Whammy On Me (3:18)
6. Talkin' Blues (4:36)
7. Sweet Lorene (2:59)
8. Ask Me 'Bout Nothing (But The Blues) (4:08)
9. It's Your Voodoo Working (3:15)
10. Rowdy Blues (4:20)

When five-time Grammy-winner Taj Mahal intersects with The Phantom Blues Band, it’s one of those rare joints that hits you before you even know you’ve been hit. They walk in, plug in, and the whole room shifts. Studio assassins, road lifers, groove keepers and somehow still hungry. Mahal’s fearless, open-hearted spirit still shadows the whole thing with that genre-hopping joy. He leads you down the road with a history lesson and the Phantoms carry it with honor to the Griot.

Mahal sings and plays harp as he fronts an all-star lineup of legendary musicians with the three ringleaders for the Phantoms — guitarist Johnny Lee Schell, the soulful gunslinger with tone for days; drummer Tony Braunagel, who keeps the whole ship steered straight and on time, every time; and Larry Fulcher, the anchor, the heartbeat, the quiet storm on bass. Joining them are Jon Cleary, with that unmistakable New Orleans piano swagger; organist Mick Weaver, a session master whose playing slides in with an undeniable velvet magic; and in the horn section, Joe Sublett on sax and Les Lovitt on trumpet, who bring the orchestration into the full view of this genre.

But make no mistake: Despite the billing, this band doesn’t ‘back’ anybody. They lift you up, carry you and dare you to rise higher. On this record they slide through blues, soul, R&B, and island color with the ease of men who’ve lived every bit of it. This is deep-groove, grown-folks music from a band that still plays like the night is young. Time celebrates over 30 years of making uplifting, inspiring and aspiring music together. /Darryl Sterdan, Tinnitist

Time mc
Time gofile

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The Phantom Blues Band - Blues For Breakfast: In Memory Of MF

Size: 104.8 MB
Time: 43:59
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2022
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Soul
Art: Front & Back

01. I Take What I Want (4:26)
02. Get Involved (3:53)
03. She's Into Something (3:44)
04. Move On Up (4:06)
05. OK, I Admit It (3:32)
06. Still Be Friends (4:11)
07. Country Boy (2:53)
08. Laughin' And Clownin' (3:39)
09. Stepping Up In Class (3:38)
10. I Know You Don't Love Me (2:32)
11. That's What Love Will Make You Do (4:05)
12. Stuff You Gotta Watch (3:14)

Personnel:
Larry Fulcher – bass, vocals (1, 2. 4, 6, 11)
Tony Braunagel – drums, percussion
Johnny Lee Schell – guitar, vocals (1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 12) backing vocals (2, 4, 5, 9)
Joe Sublett- saxophone
Les Lovitt – trumpet
Jim Pugh – piano, organ

With very special guests:
Ruthie Foster – backing vocals (4)
Bonnie Raitt – vocals (7)
Mike Finnegan- vocals & organ (5)
Curtis Salgado – vocals & harmonica (8, 10)
Tony Chin – rhythm guitar (4)
Kelly Finnegan – organ solo (10)
Beth Styne – backing vocals (6)

Tribute To Mike Finnigan with very special guests: Bonnie Raitt, Ruthie Foster & Curtis Salgado!

For all his considerable musical talents, Taj Mahal has always been shrewd. And smart. In the early 1990s he knew he’d assembled something special in his backing band. He dubbed his secret weapon the Phantom Blues Band.
After helping Taj win two Grammys and gain three other nominations, the band members realized they could stand on their own. The Phantom Blues Band began assembling what would become ‘Out Of The Shadows’ in 2006, an album that stretched the band and won raves at every turn.

The Phantom Blues Band – drummer Tony Braunagel, bassist/singer Larry Fulcher, guitarist/singer Johnny Lee Schell, saxophonists Joe Sublett, trumpeter Darrell Leonard, and keyboardist/singer Mike Finnigan – has been a resilient unit.

At various times, its members have backed just about every marquis band you can name, but they continued to support Taj when he needed them.
On its own, Phantom has recorded ‘Out Of The Shadows’ and Footprints in 2007 for Delta Groove and Inside Out in 2012 and Still Cookin’ in 2020, both for VizzTone. Album after album features the same musicians, although at one point Les Lovitt replaced Leonard on trumpet.

It’s a rather remarkable testimonial that these guys who are first-call sidemen for people such as Bonnie Raitt, Etta James, Joe Cocker, Robert Cray, Eric Burdon, and Bob Marley among others, always seem to come back to their nest with the Phantom Blues Band. Unusual allegiance and true camaraderie come to mind as character traits.

So it was especially painful during the pandemic shadow in 2020 when Mike Finnigan was diagnosed with cancer. Finnigan held his own place in the music industry. Through the years, he played on hundreds of records and thousands of shows with artists as varied as Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Crosby, Stills & Nash. He made it through the Still Cookin’ album, but succumbed to his illness in August 2021.

The Phantom Blues Band wasn’t going to let that knock them out. They recruited veteran Jim Pugh on keyboards (Etta James, Robert Cray, Chris Isaak) and immediately set about to produce an album in tribute to the fallen Finnigan.
Schell and Fulcher handle most of the vocals on the new album, which is scheduled for an early summer release on Pugh’s Little Village record label.

The band invited two of its long-time musical companions – Bonnie Raitt and Curtis Salgado – to pitch in on the effort.

As a tribute to the Finnigan, proceeds from the new CD will be donated to the Mike Finnigan School of Music at the Stiefel Theater in Salina, Kansas. It is surely an honor Finnigan, a native of Kansas, would smile at.

The members of the Phantom Blues Band can take plenty of pride from their aggregated musical experiences, but they know this project is something special.
Of course, Taj Mahal could have probably told you that they could do this long ago. He believed in them first.

Blues For Breakfast: In Memory Of MF MP3
Blues For Breakfast: In Memory Of MF FLAC

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Phantom Blues Band - Still Cookin'

Size: 113,4 MB
Time: 48:21
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2020
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Don't Fight It (3:48)
02. Stop Runnin' (5:13)
03. Wingin' My Way (4:17)
04. Just In Case (4:45)
05. Blues How They Linger (4:39)
06. Shine On (3:55)
07. Better But Not Good (4:08)
08. Tequila Con Yerba (3:53)
09. Bad Blood (3:35)
10. Fess On Up (3:28)
11. I'm Just Your Fool (2:48)
12. I Was Blind (3:46)

Since the early 1990's, the Phantom Blues band has been touring the world as the two-time Grammy winning band for Taj Mahal, and appearing as a world-class all-star band on their own. The band members have a long list of credits as touring artists and top-call studio musicians for the likes of Bonnie Raitt, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, and many more.

The Phantom Blues Band is comprised of Tony Braunagel (drums), Mike Finnigan (keyboards & vocals), Larry Fulcher (bass & vocals) Johnny Lee Schell (guitar & vocals), Joe Sublet (saxophones). Les Lovitt (trumpet), plus many all-star guest musicians.

The band credits their combined influences for the compositions and song selections on this album: 'We all grew up on great songs from the late 50's on, and extended our library of influences fro the Great American Songbook, including the roots of the Blues.'

Still Cookin'

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Barbara Blue & The Phantom Blues Band - By Popular Demand

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:50
Size: 150.7 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Year: 2001/2007
Art: Front

[3:46] 1. Trouble With A Capital "T"
[4:04] 2. Back By Popular Demand
[3:32] 3. Toolbox Blues
[5:52] 4. Don't Lead Me On
[4:05] 5. Road Blues
[3:05] 6. Can't Get Your Lovin' Off My Mind
[3:20] 7. Sell My Jewelry
[4:22] 8. From The Delta To The Golden Gates
[3:33] 9. Cheatin' Blues
[3:36] 10. Drunken Angel
[3:10] 11. Brought Together By The Blues
[5:13] 12. Turtle Blues
[2:54] 13. Moonlight Over Memphis
[3:46] 14. If I Had You
[2:34] 15. Red Cadillac & The Blues
[2:47] 16. You Can't Stop My Love
[2:57] 17. No No Baby
[3:04] 18. Old Man's Moving Out

The British compilation By Popular Demand is essentially an expanded edition of Barbara Blue's Sell My Jewelry album, adding a few tracks from three of her other releases (Out of the Blue, Memphis 3rd & Beale, and Love Money Can't Buy). On the 12 songs that originally comprised the Sell My Jewelry album, Blue presented a gutsy set of soulful contemporary blues with the backing of Taj Mahal's Phantom Blues Band. There's nothing groundbreaking about Blue, the songs, or the arrangements, but she has a powerful throaty voice, often used on songs playing up to a "tough mama" persona. The band gives her able support that draws soul music influences into the blues context, using organ and horns as well as the staple guitar and rhythm section. Blue wrote a bit of the material, but most of it's devoted to songs by other writers, including Janis Joplin ("Turtle Blues"), Lucinda Williams ("Drunken Angel"), and Rod Piazza (co-writer of "Brought Together by the Blues"), though the other composers won't be familiar names to many listeners. While she often sings about not taking guff from guys, in truth she sounds as good-natured as she does angry, though that doesn't detract from the merit of the music. She also breaks up the gruffer stuff with a couple of serious emotional near-ballads in "Don't Lead Me On" and Williams' "Drunken Angel," as well as a gutbucket self-penned John Lee Hooker tribute, "From the Delta to the Golden Gates." Taj Mahal's Phantom Blues Band also plays on four of the six other tracks, which largely follow a similar style. ~Richie Ubterberger

By Popular Demand mc
By Popular Demand zippy

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Phantom Blues Band - Inside Out

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 51:03
Size: 116.9 MB
Styles: Electric Texas blues
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[2:47] 1. I Can't Stand It
[3:15] 2. A Good Time With The Blues
[3:27] 3. Boogah Man
[5:58] 4. So Far From Heaven
[3:00] 5. Little Fernandez
[4:58] 6. Death Letter
[3:08] 7. Where Did My Monkey Go
[4:42] 8. Change
[4:26] 9. It's All Right
[4:09] 10. Feel Like Going Home
[3:14] 11. Boogie Woogie Country Girl
[4:14] 12. Shame
[3:38] 13. Stone Survivor

Once an eclectic group of musicians cobbled together to back Taj Mahal, the Phantom Blues Band have become a full-fledged force on their own. The sextet's third release finds these crusty roots veterans churning out a vibrant set of traditional Texas blues, gospel, Latin, and good-time swampy rocking with obvious chops, but also a live spark others in their genre often find it hard to re-create in the studio. The horns of Joe Sublett (sax) and Darrell Leonard (trumpet) bring R&B into the mix, which informs the band's sound. Solid originals like the driving "Boogah Man" and the Curtis Mayfield-styled "So Far from Heaven" combine with rearranged covers from Son House (a tough, grinding "Death Letter") and Jimmy McCracklin ("Shame, Shame" sounds like it was cut in Stax's prime) and the gospel standard "I Can't Stand It," among others. The entire group gets co-writing credit on "Change," the set's one sociopolitical commentary that touches on the economic inequality in the country today as it name-checks General Electric, the stock market, the housing crisis, and of course banks, all to a bumping, danceable beat. Even when they get serious and lyrically incisive, the music keeps the mood light and party-ready. A beautifully subtle reading of Charlie Rich's "Feel Like Going Home" displays church, pop, and country influences and Leonard's funky "Where Did My Monkey Go?" sounds like prime Crusaders, whose co-founding member Joe Sample guests on piano for "So Far from Heaven." The sound is terrific too, with full, round bass from Larry Fulcher and crisp beats from drummer Tony Braunagel that ground these songs. Three good, non-flashy vocalists including the terrific Mike Finnigan keep the groove varied, making these 50 minutes fly by. Three releases in, the Phantom Blues Band are one of the finest acts working in their crowded field, delivering the bar band rocking goods while displaying world-class chops. ~ Hal Horowitz.

Inside Out

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