Taj Mahal announces new album “Time” on Rock & Blues Muse

n a couple of times and felt that movement and that message in it. And we were grateful to receive his blessing to record it.” Tony Braunagel added, “During the recording process of the forthcoming album Time, producers and members of the Phantom Blues Band, myself and Larry Fulcher, engaged longtime friend Steve Berkowitz as an advisor to help navigate record company connections for the release. Steve, a deeply creative and seasoned executive who previously ran Sony Legacy, had an inspired idea. While working with Bill Withers, when he was still with us, they had come across one of Bill’s unrecorded demos titled ‘Time.’ It dawned on Steve that the song would be a perfect fit for Taj. With the album still in progress, he shared it, and it was immediately embraced. The lead vocal is earnest and heartfelt, capturing the depth and weight at the core of the Bill Withers original. Once the finishing touches were added and the track was mixed, it secured a permanent place on the album. The song conveys a shared human experience, Withers’ vision now honored and celebrated through Taj and his gifted collaborators, ready to be heard and embraced.”

Elsewhere, Time features the Bob Marley classic ‘Talkin’ Blues’ with guest vocals from David ‘Ziggy’ Marley, alongside highlights including the breezy swing of ‘Wild About My Lovin’’ and an Afro-Cuban–infused “You Put The Whammy On Me.” Across the album, Taj’s unmistakable voice remains as resonant and communicative as ever, bridging blues, R&B, jazz, Caribbean traditions along with global and roots music. Originally recorded in 2010 alongside Taj’s longtime collaborators the Phantom Blues Band — a three-decade partnership responsible for GRAMMY-winning albums Señor Blues (1997) and Shoutin’ in Key (2000) — Time captures a shared musical language refined across decades. The sessions featured Tony Braunagel (drums), Larry Fulcher (bass) and Johnny Lee Schell (guitar), who also produced the album alongside Berkowitz. Additional musicians include New Orleans piano great Jon Cleary and organist Mick Weaver. The album was recorded at Ultratone Studio in Studio City, CA, with its rich blend of reggae rhythms, New Orleans grooves, country blues and Latin influences reflecting the band’s signature chemistry.

Few artists have shaped American roots music as profoundly as Taj Mahal. A recipient of the 2025 GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award, Taj is a genre-defying musician, composer and cultural ambassador whose six-decade career spans more than 40 albums, multiple GRAMMY wins and global acclaim. Since launching his groundbreaking solo career in the late 1960s, Taj has continually expanded the boundaries of blues while illuminating its deep cultural connections across continents, influencing generations of artists from The Rolling Stones to Bonnie Raitt. From back-to-back GRAMMY wins for Señor Blues and Shoutin’ in Key to his Best Traditional Blues Album victory for 2022’s Get On Board, his celebrated reunion with longtime collaborator Ry Cooder, alongside recent acclaimed projects including Savoy and the GRAMMY-winning Swingin’ Live At The Church In Tulsa, Taj remains both torchbearer and innovator.

Reflecting both the years it took to bring the record to life and the moment we find ourselves in now, Time moves fluidly through the musical worlds Taj Mahal has always inhabited — but enriching them for a new generation along the way. As Ruthie Foster writes in her liner notes for Taj’s album: “turn it up — this is deep-groove, grown-folks music from a band that still plays like the night is young.” The album is available for pre-order now, and the tracklist includes songs such as ‘Life of Love,’ ‘Sweet Lorene,’ and ‘Rowdy Blues.’ Get ready for an exciting musical journey with Taj Mahal and his new album Time.