Start with the Soul

Last updated
Start with the Soul
Studio album by
Alvin Youngblood Hart
Released2000
StudioSounds Unreel
Genre Blues, blues rock
Label Hannibal
Producer Jim Dickinson
Alvin Youngblood Hart chronology
Territory
(1998)		Start with the Soul
(2000)		Down in the Alley
(2002)

Start with the Soul is an album by the American musician Alvin Youngblood Hart, released in 2000. [1] [2] Hart promoted the album with North American tours that included stints with Galactic and Ben Harper. [3] [4]

Contents

Production

The album was recorded at Sounds Unreel, in Memphis, and produced by Jim Dickinson. [5] The more electric sound was inspired in part by the late-sixties San Francisco rock that Hart liked as a kid, as well as Hart's ability to repair older guitars and amplifiers. [6] Start with the Soul includes many covers, which Hart selected because the songs were on albums in his record collection. [3] "Back to Memphis" was composed by Chuck Berry. [7] "Cowboy Boots" is a cover of the Dave Dudley song. [5] "Treat Her Like a Lady" is a version of the Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose song. [8] "Cryin' Shame" was written and originally recorded by Black Oak Arkansas. [9] "Manos Arriba" deals with police harassment. [10] "Fightin' Hard" laments the early death of a close friend. [11] "Maxwell Street Jimmy" is a tribute to Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis. [12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [12]

The Boston Globe noted that Hart's "flexible, tar-and-whiskey voice conveys as much personality as his fret work". [13] The Province determined that Hart "winds up sounding not terribly unlike a toned-down Little Feat or a little above a run-of-the-mill blues rock power trio." [14] The Scotsman opined that "the instrumentals sound a bit like unfinished backing tracks, but there's a rousing swagger which makes the whole thing hard to resist." [15] The Calgary Herald said that "Start with the Soul doesn't push any boundaries or forge any new musical territory... It merely adds another brick to the already-tired wall of American blues rock." [16]

The Irish Times praised the album's "power, poise and skill". [17] The New York Times considered Start with the Soul to be one of the best albums of 2000, concluding that Hart "has an uncooked voice and a stance all his own... Jim Dickinson's production makes this real living blues." [18] The Commercial Appeal thought it was one of 2000's best albums, labeling it a "classic that confounded all the right people and delighted the rest." [19] The Miami New Times stated that Start with the Soul was the album of the year. [20]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Fightin' Hard" 
2."Manos Arriba" 
3."Treat Her Like a Lady" 
4."Once Again" 
5."Porch Monkey's Theme" 
6."Electric Eel" 
7."Back to Memphis" 
8."Cowboy Boots" 
9."A Prophet's Mission" 
10."Cryin' Shame" 
11."The Hustler" 
12."Maxwell Street Jimmy" 
13."Will I Ever Get Back Home?" 

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References

  1. ↑ Young, Jon (Jul–Aug 2000). "Start with the Soul". Mother Jones. Vol. 25, no. 4. p. 74.
  2. ↑ Marsh, Dave (Jul 2000). "Start with the Soul". Playboy. Vol. 47, no. 7. p. 37.
  3. 1 2 Morris, Chris (Jun 3, 2000). "Flag Waving". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 23. p. 88.
  4. ↑ Nailen, Dan (Aug 18, 2000). "Ben Harper Provides Antidote to Musical Malaise". The Salt Lake Tribune. p. B1.
  5. 1 2 Ellis, Bill (May 13, 2000). "Start with the Soul Alvin Youngblood Hart". The Commercial Appeal. p. F1.
  6. ↑ Ellis, Andy (Jul 2000). "Alvin Youngblood Hart: Rootsy bluesman turns rocker". Guitar Player. Vol. 34, no. 7. pp. 37–38.
  7. ↑ Mullinax, Gary (Oct 20, 2000). "The New Hues of the Blues". The News Journal. p. Z20.
  8. ↑ Mersereau, Bob (June 10, 2000). "Alvin Youngblood Hart Start with the Soul". Life. Telegraph-Journal.
  9. ↑ Himes, Geoffrey (July 7, 2000). "One of Mahal's heirs, Alvin Youngblood Hart...". The Washington Post. p. WW12.
  10. ↑ Sweeting, Adam (May 9, 2000). "Change of Hart". Friday. The Guardian. p. 16.
  11. ↑ McKeough, Kevin (Aug 8, 2000). "Hot Summer Selection". Chicago Tribune. p. 5.2.
  12. 1 2 The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 246.
  13. ↑ Perry, Jonathan (Apr 20, 2000). "Alvin Youngblood Hart Start with the Soul". The Boston Globe. p. CAL8.
  14. ↑ "Blues". The Province. May 2, 2000. p. B5.
  15. ↑ Mathieson, Kenny (May 12, 2000). "Alvin Youngblood Hart Start with the Soul". The Scotsman. p. 16.
  16. ↑ Boettcher, Shelley (May 25, 2000). "CD Reviews". Calgary Herald. p. HL16.
  17. ↑ Breen, Joe (27 May 2000). "Roots". Weekend. The Irish Times. p. 72.
  18. ↑ "An Old Spell, a New 'Voodoo'". The New York Times. Dec 17, 2000. p. 2.37.
  19. ↑ Ellis, Bill (July 20, 2001). "Town's Sounds". The Commercial Appeal. p. G3.
  20. ↑ Floyd, John (June 15, 2000). "Alvin Youngblood Hart – Start with the Soul". Rotations. Miami New Times.
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