Alvin Youngblood Hart & Sons of the San Joaquin

11.29.2005 -- Review by: Stephen Hug

“Motivational Speaker” by Alvin Youngblood Hart (ArtemisRecords)—This is hot-on-the-skillet Southern fried guitar boogie, reminiscent of ZZ Top, with a dash of bluesman Buddy Guy, Doug Sahm (he does Sahm’s “Lawd I’m Just A Country Boy In This Great Big Freaky City”), Otis Redding (he does Redding’s “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” with Hart’s guitar stepping aside for some soulful horns), Jimi Hendrix and others. If your record collection needs a new guitar hero, Alvin Youngblood Hart should be a candidate. If you’re into the jam band thing, he’s got the extended solos so you can jump up and down in your hippie duds! And stoner rock freaks—he’s not afraid to use the fuzz tone! The Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River, MA, where I volunteer, has Hart in concert on Thursday, December 1. But this is 3 ¾ bottle caps, pretty damn good, even if we weren’t promoting the show. I noticed on the Map of Americana on this site that Charles Porcaro from Warwick, RI (about 40 minutes from the Narrows) thinks that “Southern New England is the vortex of musical suckitude.” Will we see you at the Alvin Youngblood Hart show? You might change your mind!

“Way Out Yonder” by the Sons of the San Joaquin (Dualtone)—If you don’t appreciate the western music tradition, you probably won’t dig this recording, particularly the “manly” vocal presentation, which you might associate with old Disney movies or cartoons. These guys are award-winners within their niche, and you gotta respect that. Instrumentally this is pleasant, but when the guys start singing—which they do well, by the way—you’ll either love or hate the style. If preserving a musical tradition is your passion, this one may be for you. Can’t give our usual bottle cap rating. Too much of a niche thang.