Taj Mahal at Shepherd's Bush Empire, London
Charles Shaar Murray, MOJO, September 1997
HENRY ST. CLAIR FREDERICKS named himself Taj Mahal with good reason: he's a monument who can dance with an easy grace and joyful lightness delightfully surprising for a man his size. By the same token, that big frayed voice sounds like a blunt instrument until you realise that he hits every target – each note, each emotional nuance – with absolute, pinpoint accuracy.
Total word count of piece: 347