Customer Reviews

Black Snake Moan

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Watching the movie I was overwhelmed by the greatness of its soundtrack, and after purchasing this CD I was pleased to see that everything still seemed as wonderful. I am not a blues afficianado, but I do appreciate good music. I think that most anyone could enjoy this soundtrack.

This is a very good soundtrack heavily influenced by R.L. Burnside. That raunchy, X-rated version of Stack-O-Lee sung by Samuel Jackson is directly from a version that Burnside sings on his MC Records CD "Well, Well, Well..." (that incidentally has blues singer Curtis Salgado laughing wickedly in the background). I believe the Burnside recording is the most unique version of this song ever recorded.

The film fascinated me. Okay, I expected a dynamite soundtrack and I got it. What I didn't expect is that Samuel L. Jackson could actually sing! There's no overdub needed on this man's tracks--and you really do need to see the scene from the film where he plays at a roadhouse. Great job!

And that's the kind between a male and a female." And that's how this remarkable collection of blues begins, courtesy of the great Son House. Going through a nasty break-up or divorce? Me too. Mr. House, we feel you. Here in the Motor City we began a rediscovery of him a few years back when Jack White did a blazing cover of "Death Letter". The soundtrack to Black Snake Moan comes at a time when young music fans ARE discovering Delta Blues via bands like The Black Keys ( well represented here ), R.L. Burnside ( ditto ), and the White Stripes. In Detroit there a dozen bands rediscovering their blues roots, even if with blue eyes. Outrageous Cherry, for one, is well represented on this soundtrack.
The joyous surprise though on this collection is Samuel Jackson. The man becomes what he is performing. He was Jules in "Pulp Fiction", slaughtering Ezekial 25:17 before capping a fool. Here he is an old Southern blues singer and his version of Stack-O-Lee almost rivals Nick Cave. And that says a lot for a full time actor and part time singer! But when Samuel sings, "I put nine of my bullets in his motherf...g chest!" you will find yourself hitting the replay button. Don't worry about the reviews of the movie and whether it was exploitation or not, just get the soundtrack and keep driving til you hit a fork in the road. There may be a man there asking you to make a choice. That's the blues.

I had heard of this soundtrack from someone who knows the Blues....loves the Blues. Her recommendation was spot on. It owns an attitude that is powerful. There is no fluff with this music. There are no corny lyrics nor is there anything pretty here. Just honest, hard, thought provoking, music which make you open your mind to things you don't usually think of. Samuel Jackson perfoms a few songs here and is great. The title track is the best song because of its emotion, which Jackson deftly delivers. Listening to this soundtrack just takes you away from everything....and quite honestly makes you think that maybe your life is a lot better off than some.

This CD is exactly what I expected. I liked the music in the movie so I bought the soundtrack. It has about 7 songs I really like on the CD, which I don't think is too bad considering sometimes a CD only has one or two songs you really like on it. It's basically a blues album. Overall well worth the money I spent on it.

Whether you've seen the film or not, this is an essential must-own for anyone who loves the blues. The highlight among these great blues gems, is hearing Samuel L. Jackson putting his own personal touch on the blues.
You will not regret buying this!

The audio CD is not as good as the DVD.
Good story - the DVD translation to audio CD dissapoints as the soul feeling isn't there. Samuel Jackson could have a second career as he did pour his soul into the music [not evident on the audio CD of Black Snake Moan.] It's another way to make us pay more dollars for what technology doesn't want to deliver/share.

I like the DVD but if I want to listen to just the music -well you'll have to decide what is more relevant to you.

Old Mississippi blues, the heart of the soul. I'd rather have the soul.

An extremely peculiar film from Craig Brewer, the director of Hustle & Flow, Black Snake Moan is a deep-South drama covering topics as diverse as promiscuity, religion, redemption, love, and Blues music. Samuel L. Jackson plays farmer and part-time blues musician Lazarus, who wakes up one morning to find a young woman named Rae (Christina Ricci), badly beaten and unconscious, lying half-naked in his yard. A childhood victim of sexual abuse, Rae had developed into the town tramp, using her sex addiction as a replacement for the love she has never felt in her life. Lazarus, however, seeing a chance to redeem both himself and Rae, takes it upon himself to `cure' Rae of her illness - and proceeds to chain her to the radiator of his remote farmhouse, forcing her to endure sexual cold turkey. And so begins a truly unusual friendship between the pair - and, as always happens in these things, they learn more about life from each other than they ever expected. As one might expect, the film's music is heavily rooted in the musical heritage of the deep South, especially that of blues artists such as R.L. Burnside, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Son House and the North Mississippi Allstars. Jackson performs a number of himself, his distinctive deep voice sounding very authentic when performing tracks like the forlorn "Just Like a Bird Without a Feather", the rollicking "Alice Mae", the angry/funny/dirty-sounding "Stack-o-Lee", and the languorous, eponymous "Black Snake Moan". Composer Scott Bomar's score is limited to just three cues and around 5 minutes in length, comprising mainly blues instrumentals, electric guitars, and ambient electronic textures, although his work arranging the blues tracks heard in the movie is important and impressive in context. Not really one for score fans, but recommended for fans of modern blues.

I am a big fan of Movie Soundtracks. Black Snake Moan did not disappoint. I liked the music in the moive and wanted more. The CD has complete songs that the movie has only snippits or are obscured by dialog. Black Snake MoanIf you have not seen the moive, you should. Samual L. Jackson learned to play the guitar for the part. When his acting career is over he has a furture in a blues band.