Rising Sons featuring Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder (Columbia Legacy)

From The Archives: The Rising Sons couldn't decide whether to be a rock or blues band and tried to settle for both.

Way back in the mid-1960s, there was talk of a hot West Coast band called the Rising Sons featuring a singer named Taj Mahal and a guitarist named Ry Cooder. They released a single of Rev. Gary Davis' "Candyman," but nothing else was heard until Mahal's first solo album a few years later which included Cooder on guitar and mandolin. I was happily surprised to walk into a store a couple of months ago and see Rising Sons featuring Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder (Columbia Legacy). The album represents the first recordings of Mahal and Cooder and will be of interest to fans of both.

The Rising Sons couldn't decide whether to be a rock or blues band and tried to settle for both. This dilemma is detailed in the excellent, often humorous liner notes and the music bears this out. The blues songs stand out and most of the rock tracks are kind of funny.