When Taj Mahal and Keb' Mo' released TajMo in 2017 and toured the world, they fully intended it to be a one-off. Even as they resumed solo careers, neither could forget the merits of that partnership; they wondered if there was still magic between them in the studio. Room on the Porch answers in the affirmative. For the sake of creative possibility, they decided to write and record the material together in a studio. Over two weeks, Mahal, Mo', and their chosen collaborators worked in a Nashville studio and emerged with Room on the Porch, a solid set of seven originals and three covers co-produced by the pair. It's an intimate, warm, informal album full of laid-back good vibes and great songs.
The title-track opener, co-written with vocalist Ruby Amanfu, is a good-time acoustic rag blues buoyed by B-3, upright bass, fiddle, and resonator guitars in a welcome to a new guest and friend…

Alligator Records shows a different side of its house-rocking face on this 13-cut collection of acoustic blues. While Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson and Bukka White don't appear here, other performers – some of whom one normally associates with overdriven electricity – are. Buddy Guy is present, as is Stevie Ray Vaughan. Koko Taylor's "The Man Next Door" is here and it's one of her greatest performances on record. In addition, Johnny Winter, who was no stranger to a National Steel string bottleneck earlier in his career, returns to give it another go, and the true roots doctor Corey Harris is here with "God Don't Ever Change," and Carey and Lurrie Bell with "Stop Running Around." Guy's "Hi Heel Sneakers" is terrific as is Winter's "Evil on My Mind." But it's those that are normally associated with the acoustic blues like Harris, Saffire – The Uppity Blues Women, Cephas & Wiggins, John Jackson and the legendary Sonny Terry who come off best, bringing the true rhythm and mystery with them into their songs.

Rainmaker is the 1980 debut album by Kevin Moore, now more commonly known as Keb' Mo'. The album features the songs "Rainmaker" and "Anybody Seen My Girl" which were each re-released in Moore's later releases Slow Down and Keb' Mo' respectively.

The first solo release by contemporary blues-based artist Keb Mo' mixes a reverence for traditional country blues with more streamlined elements of commercial pop. Keyboards, bass and drums (in addition to Keb Mo's contributions on guitar, harmonica and banjo) flesh out breezy soul-inflected pop such as "She Just Wants To Dance" and the island flavored "Tell Everybody I Know." Though gears continue to shift, from organ-drenched gospel to hillbilly lite, Keb Mo' brings things back to the source with inventive homages to the blues altar, such as in his re-casting of two Robert Johnson songs.

As an album title, Good to Be… drifts off on a wave of ellipses, but on the record itself, it's presented as "Good to Be (Home Again)," making the spirit of Keb' Mo's 15th studio album explicit: he's settled into a comfortable groove, appreciating good vibes and mellow grooves. Despite cameos from Darius Rucker and Americana stalwarts Old Crow Medicine Show, there's not a pronounced country or folk undercurrent here. Good to Be… is cut from the same cloth as 2011's slick, soulful The Reflection, only it's even smoother and mellower – so low-key, it can veer into adult contemporary territory, a connection underscored by Kristin Chenoweth's appearance on the album closer "Quiet Moments." If Good to Be… sometimes is a little too cozy – it's executed well and its unifying spirit is evident, but a cover of "Lean on Me" still feels a little overly familiar – it's nevertheless a warm, welcoming album that's every bit as soothing and comforting as Keb' Mo' intended it to be.

Keb' Mo' and Taj Mahal have been friends and colleagues for years but 2017's TajMo is the first time the pair have recorded an album. It also marks the first time Taj Mahal has entered a studio since 2008 – Keb' Mo' last released an album in 2014 – and if this seems like it should be a momentous occasion, what's striking about TajMo is how casual the whole affair is. The duo designed TajMo to be an upbeat, life-affirming listen, something that emphasizes how the blues can also offer a good time. If the album can occasionally seem a little too crisp and polished – it's bright and shiny without a hint of grit – it's also true that this reflects the lightness at the heart of TajMo.

Like 1999's tribute to Gram Parsons, Return of the Grievous Angel, this successful collection revives the tired "tribute" concept and applies it in homage to a key figure in country music. Interpreting songs from across Hank Williams's short and troubled career, a range of high-profile artists use different approaches with equally gratifying results. Tom Petty, Sheryl Crow, and Hank Williams III play familiar songs with traditional arrangements (Ms. Crow's yodel is an eye opener); Beck, Mark Knopfler, and Keb' Mo' stay closer to their own idioms. Keith Richards's reedy vocal makes "You Win Again" all his own, and Bob Dylan, who has only rarely lent his services to these sorts of projects, leads his touring band through a blues shuffle on "I Can't Get You Off of My Mind." The estimable Lost Highway label has assembled an illustrious cast to sing the praises of the artist who inspired its name, and in doing so it has created a far better testament to its musical mindset than can ever be captured in the term Americana.

This four-disc, 68-track collection paints a broad definition of the blues, with cuts ranging from vintage country blues (Robert Johnson's “Cross Road Blues,” Son House's “Death Letter Blues”) to uptown jazz blues (Nina Simone's “Blues for My Mama,” Billie Holiday's “Billie’s Blues”), Chicago blues (a live version of “Howling Wolf” by Muddy Waters), British blues (Jeff Beck's “JB’s Blues”), and contemporary acoustic blues (“Am I Wrong” by Keb' Mo'), with plenty of stops in between, making for a random but varied playlist that circles the different approaches and musical definitions of the genre.

Just like You is the second studio album by Delta blues artist Keb' Mo', released in 1996. It features guest artists Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt, both on the title track "Just Like You". Unlike the first album, Just Like You features a more blues-pop to blues-rock feel and more of its tracks feature a full band. In 1997, Just Like You won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album.

Pink isn't a color usually associated with blues but That Hot Pink Blues Album doesn't have a sound usually associated with Keb' Mo'. Sure, there are elements of the acoustic slide guitar that has been his signature since his 1994 debut, but the live album emphasizes his softer, soulful side, sometimes pairing the bluesman with sympathetic strings. In this respect, That Hot Pink Blues Album feels like a cousin to the mellow 2011 set The Reflection, but these 16 songs were cut on the 2015 supporting tour for 2014's BLUESAmericana, a record that was designed to touch on as many different American roots sounds as possible. Compared to that, That Hot Pink Blues Album is a little more streamlined, containing a dual focus on mellow grooves and sensitive reflections. He's attempted this in the studio, but his interpretations breathe and sigh on-stage, which is what makes That Hot Pink Blues Album warm and enveloping in a way few other Keb' Mo' records are.