PHANTOM BLUES BAND "OUT OF THE SHADOWS" Source: Goldmine Magazine Date: 12/2006 Writer: Peter Lindblad

Forget “Chicken Soup for eh Soul.” On “Out of the Shadows,” Taj Mahal’s backing band steps out on its own to cook up a horn-swaddled, contemporary blues gumbo for your booty.

Flavored with swampy Bayou funk and gritty soul, “Out of the Shadows” is immersed in the distinctive geographic stylings of New Orleans and Memphis. With help from Mahal on harmonica, “I only Have You” boasts sunny horns, pumping organ and R&B attitude to spare, while “My Aching Back” offers a satisfying taste of electrified Chicago blues and “Rain Down Tears” is the height of jazz refinement.

But it’s the thick R&B grooves of “Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed,” the bump and grind of “Big Boy Pete” and the gospel ravings of “I’m Looking for a Miracle” that will have them jumping in the pews. Brothers and sisters, the Phantom Blues Band has testified.