| Sacred Island | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Taj Mahal |
| Cover: | Sacred_Island_CD.jpg |
| Released: | 1998 |
| Recorded: | 1997[1] |
| Studio: | Messenger Studios, Hawaii |
| Genre: | Blues, world fusion |
| Length: | 44:52 |
| Label: | Private Music[2] |
| Producer: | Carey Williams |
| Prev Title: | Señor Blues |
| Prev Year: | 1997 |
| Next Year: | 1998 |
Sacred Island is an album by the American blues/world artist Taj Mahal and the Hawaiian music group the Hula Blues Band, released in 1998.[3]
The album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Blues Albums chart.[4]
"Coconut Man" is a rewrite of the Toots Hibbert song "Monkey Man"; "Betty and Dupree" is a cover of the Chuck Willis song.[5] [6]
The Edmonton Journal wrote that "the sounds of tenor, baritone, and Liliu ukuleles, Hawaiian steel guitar, pan pipes and slack-key guitars combine with the main man's National dobro and harmonica to create a wonderful musical trip thru the islands." The Dayton Daily News thought that "a gentle Calypso backbeat snakes its way through the project, creating a warm, laid-back, breezy feel."[7] The San Diego Union-Tribune noted "the shock of hearing [the] first song: 'The New Calypsonians' sounds a bit like a gruff-voiced Mose Allison singing reggae at Don Ho's lounge."[8]
All tracks composed by Taj Mahal; except where indicated