Down in the Alley

Down in the Alley

Editorial Reviews
<"b000068r2q7499"> Amazon.com
Time traveler Alvin Youngblood Hart's albums have darted from crusty Delta fingerpicking and hollering to Hendrixian hellfire to crunchy, primal rockin' blues, all with the ring of authority that comes from complete commitment to the music. This time, he's set the wayback machine to the early '30s, using guitars, mandolin, banjo, and a lot of heart to interpret tunes by Son House, Charley Patton, Skip James, Leadbelly, and others. Somehow, the dust of old Mississippi, the state where the Oakland-born musician now resides, seems to have gotten into his blood. Hart sounds like Parchman Farm's newest inmate as he wails and moans through "How Long Before I Can Change My Clothes," plucking notes from a National resonator guitar. Chiming out chords and quick runs on banjo, he makes Odetta's "Chilly Winds" seem like they're carrying the voices of lost ghosts, recounting their lives of misery under Jim Crow's wing. Hart tends to take many of these classics, like Patton's "Tom Rushen Blues" and Leadbelly's "Alberta," at slightly slower tempos, which gives him more time to squeeze gut emotions from his lightly graveled phrases and lets his pluck-and-drone playing work its hypnotic effect. Stark and impressive for the power Hart generates alone, this may be the acoustic blues album of the year. --Ted Drozdowski

<"b000068r2q4996"> Album Description
On his fourth (Grammy Nominated) album (for his fourth label), the contemporary bluesman sounds inspired and refreshed as he accompanies himself on acoustic six-string guitar, banjo, and mandolin. Hart runs down fairly obscure tunes from Son House, Charley Patton, Leadbelly, Skip James, and Sleepy John Estes, infusing them with a jolt of energy while staying true to their original versions and invigorating them with inspired interpretations. Liner notes by Billy Gibbons, Robert Gordon & Dave Alvin. Dot. 2002.

Down in the Alley, Music, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Blues, Blues Music, Contemporary Blues, Country Blues, Modern Acoustic Blues, One of Alvin Youngblood Hart's most critically acclaimed albums, "Down In The Alley," is a solo outing that finds the blues world's preeminent "young turk" going back to the genre's acoustic roots., Pop

Down in the Alley

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