Customer Reviews

Territory

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Territory is an excursion into Alvin Youngblood Hart's adventure with music. Hart born in Oakland in 1963, uses music to discover the adventures in life and to weave common threads to connect his lifetime and history to the his influences and experiences. Although Hart was raised in Oakland he spent his Summers with his grand parents in the hill country of Northern Mississippi and while there he developed an appreciation for the countryside, learned to ride horses and learned about the diverse musicians and music of the Mississippi Delta. He was introduced to the work such musicians as Charlie Patton, Skip James, Ledbelly and Bukka White. His parents exposed him to the more recent blues of Jimmy Reed, BB King and Jimmy Witherspoon. Growing up in the 60's and 70's he was influenced by Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones.

Alvin Youngblood Hart is an impressive sight. He stands nearly 6'6" and weighs 250. He wears his hair in long dread locks and clothing of choice are flannel shirts and blue jeans. Watching him on stage is a rare treat. He is a skillful musician and vocalist who willingly takes chances and avoids being pigeonholed. How many blues musicians would choose to do a song as Dancing with Tears in My Eyes, composed in the 1920's by song writing team Al Dubin and Joe Burke, who are also known for "Tiptoe through the Tulips?"

Territory is indeed an adventure covering many different song styles and influences from rock to country to folk to blues to psychedelic. This has been a rap against the cd by those who would choose that Hart be pigeonholed into only doing acoustic blues which he did so eloquently on Big Mama's Door. Thankfully he is willing to take chances and has presented us with this album which is expanding and enlightening to the listener.

Territory is a mixture of original songs, Tallacatcha, Ouachita Run, Sallie Queen of the Pines, Countrycide, Just About to Go, Underway at Seven, Traditional Blues songs, Mama Don't Allow, John Hardy and Skip James' Illinois Blues, and psychedelic, Captain Beefheart's Ice Rose.

The cd would be worth the price for the haunting song set in minor keys, Countrycide. Countrycide is a story of how Charlie and Ed Brown "used the injustice system to their complete disadvantage."

The song starts :
"We have seen some dark days in the history of man
Tell you bout Saint Patrick day when the stuff hit the fan."

and finishes
"We have seen some dark days in the history of man
Broken hearts, stolen lives and tales of stolen land."

The cd gets underway with Tallacatcha an original which the listener might want to foxtrot to. Alvin plays both lap steel and electric guitar on this and is accompanied by piano, fiddle and bass. Tallacatcha is a Choctaw word meaning "river of pearl." Hart sings, "Everyone knows her name ain't Rose, They all call her Tallacatcha."

The cd ends with Underway at Seven, which is an instrumental with echoes of the Rolling Stones. Hart works solo, once more playing the lap steel and electric guitar. It is a fitting end to the album, a sleepy slow song with beautiful notes leisurely weaving throughout.

In the oxygen-starved climate of a music industry increasingly bent on compartmentalizing (and marginalizing) its artists, Alvin Youngblood Hart's "Territory" is a breath of fresh air. The album's stylstic breadth coupled with Hart's seemingly inexhaustible multi-instrumental skills sound a wake-up call for the virtues of musical diversity. Listen and you'll hear the sound of music, not the clanging of cash registers.

Unlike the reviewer from San Francisco, I would applaud Hart's record company for its open-mindedness, as I would applaud Hart for choosing not to record another version of "Big Mama's Door," something a less secure and less adventurous artist might attempt in the wake of its widespread critical acclaim. The creature comforts of pigeon-holing creative impulse is a sad comment on our own cultural vision. Hannibal and its parent, Rykodisc, are labels predicated on eclecticism. How rare and refreshing to find a musician following his muse and being supported by a record company on the journey.

A "Territory" that includes buoyant western swing, mesmerizing acoustic blues, haunting lap steel reveries, driving bluebeat ska, fractured waltz time, Tex-Mex mandolin and high-wire feats of multi-metered Captain Beefheart guitar is one where I could happily travel, let alone settle down.

In the hands of one man, it's a remarkable trip. As rough-hewn as he is note-perfect, Hart is an amazingly talented musician, whose wealth of musical skills, passions and knowledge one would expect to be the provence of three men, not one. The sheer resolve and authenticity with which he inhabits his landscapes is extraordinary. This CD is an exemplary early step in what should be a long and endlessly eclectic career.

When the first song started, I thought I was listening to the wrong disc. "Tallacatcha" is a Texas swing number that's unlike anything heard from Mr. Hart before. Guess it was good to know right up front that this disc is not going to be limited to any style of music, with (of course) blues, acoustic mandolin, accordion waltz (or is it two step?), 70's style electric rock, and ska (yes, ska!) also represented.

That ska song ("Just About to Go") is a lot of fun, but the acoustic blues cuts are still the best songs on the disc, with "Illinois Blues" and "Mama Don't Allow" as exceptional examples. While some songs don't work (most notably the 70's rock inspired "Ice Rose") the disc as a whole successfully weaves a rich textured moody musical/lyrical tapestry.

1999 Down Beat Magazine International Critics' Poll:

Blues Album of the Year

1999 Living Blues Magazine Crtitics' Award Winner:

Best Blues Album of the Year - All Categories

Best Traditional Blues Album of the Year

Most Outstanding Blues Guitarist of the Year

These critics already know what everyone else needs to discover. Hart is a diamond in the rough.

Hart has an outstanding voice and a great feel for diverse types of music. Rooted in the blues, but with folk, swing and jazz thrown in. Highly recommended.

Anyone who can fit Skip James and Captain Beefheart on one album, and play as well as this guy can, gets five stars. I'm impressed.

This man has a soul deep as a ravine, and it permeates the songs so insistently, you'll be reaching for the Jack Daniels and wondering why it takes a corporate bluesman to communicate the way you feel. And he does so inevitably and effortlessly. Catch him live boys, and you won't be sorry.

Alvin is a Godsend. If you are thinking of getting into the blues this album is an excellent starter. It have you on the road the next morning to buy his first release. Belive me.

What's cool about this recording is its lack of pretension and love of variety. Big points for those qualities. Hart's talents are as broad as they are deep. Seems like he could set sail in any of the many directions that Territory's compass points to and land safely.

There is some great music here, well worth exploring.And my sense is that with a bit more mapmaking (i.e.forethought), Hart could chart a masterpiece which brings together his diverse influences as a unified and unique vision, as opposed to a series of snapshots, no matter how compelling each might be in and of itself.

The reviewer above captured my sentiments exactly. There are some fine moments in this disc, but some others that are out of place and of little musical appeal. The album confirms his talent; he needs to refocus to maximize same.