Customer Reviews

Start With the Soul

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A friend loaned me this CD, and I went right out and bought my own copy because I didn't want to give it back.

Hart is all over the map with his musical influences, but right on target with every number. He starts off with Rock influences (Fightin' Hard, Manos Arriba), then veers off through Soul (Treat Her Like a Lady), Chicago Blues (Once Again), and Jazz (Porch Monkeys' Theme).

For those who love his Country Blues try 'A Prophet's Mission' or 'Will I Ever Get Back Home'. Every track is magic. And unlike his earlier album, Territory, he makes it all work together seamlessly.

This tasty brew sold me on every one of his albums. He also does a couple of wonderful traditional blues duets with Maria Muldaur on her latest album. Look him up, especially this album, and Big Mama's Door - you won't be disappointed!

Well, well, well Mr. Hart. I should have known you'd take us in this direction, but it still gave me whiplash. Being a blues/R&B man, I groaned a bit when I listened to the samples on Amazon a few days before the album came out, but listening to it on my CD player was a whole different experience. The man can rock. Fightin' Hard is straight ahead, no B.S. bar-band material. From there Mr.Hart takes us through the bars, the Delta, and the tonks like no one else could. CHOPS, baby. Where-ever Mr. hart decides to take me, I will follow. His "Big Mama's Door" is maybe the best country blues album by a new artist in the last 20 years. His 2nd album, "Territory" has snuggled up to M. Gaye's "What's Goin' On" on my list of all-time favorites. I give Hart three years before he blows up on the nation and is played in every coffe-house and "hip" gathering in the nation. Discover him now; get in before everyone else does.

Alvin is one of America's great new guitar gurus.Be it electric or acoustic,he does it all, and he does it well!I've been fortunate enough to witness several performances by his 3 man band .One thing I noticed was people of all ages ,sizes,and shades gettin' down.That's what Rock n Roll is all about and what this record is all about.This record smashes every barrier in it's path.A raucuous,reflective,rockin' romp through the gamut of American music.If you're stuck on the whole acoustic blues thing,pass this one up and leave it to the hip

I bought this album years ago after reading an interview with Hart in Guitar Player magazine. I was fascinated to discover that he and his wife build and repair amps, effects, and guitars. Guitar Player was kind enough to include a track by track listing of what equipment Hart used on the album. That alone was enough to pique my interest, so I bought the CD.

This is one of the most amazing recordings I own. Hart bounces from style to style on the album and proves that he is master of each. The album opens with the fabulous "Fightin' Hard", a straight ahead rocker before swerving into the funky "Manos Arriba". Hart then delves into soul with a cover of "Treat Her Like a Lady" that is just awesome. Great horns add to Hart's dead on soulful funk. "Porch Monkey's Theme" is a frenetic instrumental. "Once Again" is an otherworldly song that is part blues, part reggae, very atmospheric. Other standouts are an amazing version of Black Oak Arkansas's "Cryin' Shame" and a cover of Chuck Berry's "Back to Memphis". You'll also find country music, old school blues, and some more great funk-rock. The recording sounds very warm, not at all glossy and harsh like a lot of modern records. It's like some weird relic from various musical ages and stages. I also own Hart's Big Mama's Door, an excellent acoustic blues album. Be forewarned, if that's what you're looking for, this ain't it. This album is all over the map stylistically, but if you like all of those styles, as I do, then you'll love Start With the Soul.

ALVIN YOUNGBLOOD HART CONTINUES HIS JOURNEY THROUGH DIFFERENT MUSICAL GENERES THAT HE STARTED ON HIS "TERRITORY" CD. ON THIS THIRD ALBUM HE HAS LEFT THE COUNTRY ACOUSTIC BLUES WHICH HE MASTERED ON "BIG MAMA'S DOOR" AND WHICH BROUGHT HIM SEVERAL AWARDS AND RECOGNITION. IN ITS PLACE, HE PICKS UP THE ELECTRIC GUITAR AND DEMONSTARTES HIS VERSATILITY. HART IS TRULY AN ECLECTIC MUSICIAN. IF YOU BUY THIS CD, DO SO WITH AN OPEN MIND AND WITHOUT ANY PREDISPOSITION TO CATERGORIZE HARTS MUSIC AS ROCK, WORLD, RAP, BLUES, COUNTRY, JAZZ OR WHATEVER. IT IS ALL OF THOSE THINGS AND MORE.

Big Mama's Door showed us Greg "Alvin Youngblood" Hart exploring his Delta roots. Territory gave us a hint of things to come, with blues, honky tonk, rock and more tossed in a delightful musical stew. On this, his third release, Hart shows a maturity that is astonishing. This is one of the best albums of the year. Not one of the best blues albums, but one of the best albums despite the genre. It's too bad that Hannibal/Rykodisc doesn't have the publicity power of a major label, since a little more exposure would surely land Hart in the middle of mainstream success. For now, he's a tasty musical delight for those who know to seek him out. If his third effort is this great, what do we have to look forward to? I saw Hart on the Grateful Dead reunion-style Furthur Festival in '96 and he impressed me then. He's come a long, long way in four years. He's surely destined to be one of the top musical stars of the 21st Century. Check him out now, before be breaks into the big time. That way, you can say, "Yeah, I knew of him back when..." Five stars. A very, very well-made pair of cowboy boots indeed!

Alvin Youngblood Hart proves that he is indeed a modern man with his new CD Start with the Soul. He may have entrenched himself in the Delta, but he still knows how to rock.

Start with the Soul once again demonstrates Hart's interest in a wide range of musical styles coupled with his ability to adapt them for the pleasure of the modern listening ear.

Once again, Hart displays his ability as a songwriter with pieces like Fighting Hard, which is somewhat reminiscent of My Back Pages. I am particularly fond of Manos Arriba which Hart says he wrote after being stopped by police with his young son in a stroller.

Once again, I commend Alvin Youngblood Hart for his ability and his new CD and hope to continuing hearing from him in the future.

I'm not sure what I can add to the learned Mr. Gordon's review, except to say "buy this, you'll like it." I was really taken with Blood's first album, and sorta ambivalent about his 2nd. This one is as different to "Big Mama's Door" as you can imagine, but every bit as good. It's not that far from blues, but with a very accomplished garage-band feel: sparse and guitar laden, with a subtle touch of a broken Casio in places.

Generic rock n' roll. We've been hearing "cruching chords" as one admiring reviewer put it, for 30 years or more now. I understand why Hart would do this, is a common enough ploy for musicians who feel its time to get some of those "dues" back, but I would have preferred Hart stay with what he was good at.

If you liked ANY of Alvin Youngblood Hart's other cd's, I can almost guarantee you will NOT like this one. It's garbage. It's a poor crossover/sellout effort. Thankfully though he went back to acoustic roots music with his most recent release. Pick up anything else by Alvin - his other three cd's are wonderful music. We'll just pretend this release never happened....