BLUES ACCESS CD Review:

Alvin Youngblood Hart
Start With the Soul
Hannibal HNCD 1449

Alvin Youngblood Hart has made a name for himself in a hurry. His 1996 debut release, Big Mama’s Door, led to a W.C. Handy Award for Best New Blues Artist. Territory, the acclaimed follow-up, won critics’ polls in Downbeat and Living Blues. Both discs, particularly the latter, mixed new-fangled Mississippi blues with elements of old-timey country music and anything else he felt like. Territory even included a Captain Beefheart instrumental.

For his third release, Hart has gone electric in a big way. Working in a power trio format, Hart plugs in and pushes the pedals to create a sort of updated ’60s rock. Several of the tunes, such as "The Hustler" and "Fightin’ Hard," sound like Jimi Hendrix outtakes. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but much of the rock on Start doesn’t strike me as particularly individual or at all distinctive — I don’t hear his personality come through on these songs.

Fortunately there’s more to the record than three-chord rock. "Once Again" features Hart speaking over a blues groove and showcasing his no-frills guitar work. The vocals are purposefully muddied, almost like a Tom Waits narrative. That song leads into "Porch Monkeys’ Theme," a funky, soulful instrumental reminiscent of the Meters. "Electric Eel" follows, with a slow, slithering, sinister sound straight from the jungle.

By now, the record is starting to work its magic. Then Hart takes the listener "Back to Memphis," a one-chord autobiographical journey chronicling his recent move from the Bay Area to Memphis. And what Alvin Hart recording would be complete without a song from the range? This time out it’s "Cowboy Boots," with Hart confessing his desire for a pair of his own.

Only on "A Prophet’s Mission" and "Will I Ever Get Back Home" does Hart show us his great skill as a propulsive finger-picking guitarist. I don’t begrudge him the right to expand and experiment, but these are the songs that really touch my soul.

Most of Start With the Soul is interesting, challenging, and occasionally brilliant; some of it is less successful. Pick the tunes you like and enjoy.

— David Feld