Size: 109,5 MB
Time: 46:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1998
Styles: Acoustic Blues, Country Blues
Art: Full
01. Tallacatcha (3:06)
02. Illinois Blues (4:19)
03. Ouachita Run (2:39)
04. Sallie, Queen Of The Pines (3:44)
05. Countrycide (7:17)
06. Ice Rose (4:02)
07. Dancing With Tears In My Eyes (2:46)
08. Mama Don't Allow (5:34)
09. John Hardy (4:30)
10. Just About To Go (4:04)
11. Underway At Seven (4:35)
This follow-up to Hart's 1996 debut, Big Mama's Door, leaves no doubt that the early acclaim the California singer has generated is deserved. Big Mama's Door introduced a player as well versed in the history of the blues as he is with its musicianship, and Territory only reinforces that perception. From the opening strains of "Tallacatcha" to the closing "Underway at Seven," magic flies from his fingertips. It's as if those who've inspired Hart's music are channeling through him to reach a new generation. Whether it's the straight acoustic blues of "Mama Don't Allow" and "John Hardy" or the less-likely "Tallacatcha" (which entwines lap steel, fiddle, and piano into a Western dance-hall tune) and "Just About to Go" (a reggae-like number), this album further cements Hart's place in the upper ranks of contemporary bluesmen. --Alexandra Russell
On his 1996 debut for Okeh, Big Mama's Door, Hart proved himself to be an excellent young acoustic bluesman; on Territory, he shows himself to be a brilliantly versatile and eclectic musician and songwriter. -- Living Blues
On his 1996 debut for Okeh, Big Mama's Door, Hart proved himself to be an excellent young acoustic bluesman; on Territory, he shows himself to be a brilliantly versatile and eclectic musician and songwriter. -- Living Blues
Territory
Size: 99,8 MB
Time: 43:05
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2002
Styles: Acoustic Blues, Country Blues
Art: Full
01. Judge Bouche (4:08)
02. How Long Before I Change My Clothes (3:35)
03. Deep Blue Sea (2:20)
04. Jinx Blues (3:23)
05. Bootlegger's Blues (2:47)
06. Alberta (5:40)
07. Broke And Hungry (3:28)
08. Devil Got My Woman (3:07)
09. Chilly Winds (4:40)
10. Tom Rushen Blues (3:40)
11. Please Baby (3:01)
12. Motherless Child (3:11)
Hart does a 180 after the husky, power trio/space/R&B/rock of 2000's Start With the Soul by spinning out a dozen blues covers in a solo acoustic setting. On his fourth album (for his fourth label), the contemporary bluesman sounds inspired and refreshed as he accompanies himself on acoustic six-string guitar, banjo, and mandolin. The production is from Memphis cult hero Jim Dickinson, who doesn't have a chance to do much other than provide inspiration in this sparse setting. Hart runs down fairly obscure tunes from Son House, Charley Patton, Leadbelly, Skip James, and Sleepy John Estes, infusing them with a jolt of energy while staying true to their original versions and invigorating them with inspired interpretations. Hart's voice is magnificent throughout -- yowling, moaning, doleful, yet proud as he pays tribute to the Delta and country blues masters. Even the well-worn traditional "Motherless Child" sounds fresh in this context. Eschewing the diverse -- some claim overly diverse -- approach of his previous few releases, Hart sticks to basics here. He keeps the tone spare, naked, and dry, which best fits the somber mood, especially on his high-lonesome banjo interpretation of Odetta's "Chilly Winds." Recorded in just three days, this return to the artist's country blues roots is at turns harrowing, haunting, and uplifting, just like the originals. Those who found the Thin Lizzy-edged rock attack of his last release too far removed from Hart's earlier rootsy approach will rejoice in this unvarnished, stripped-down, deep blues release. ~Review by Hal Horowitz
"In her presence you get that rare whiff of greatness." -- New York Times
"Amanda McBroom is not only the greatest singer/songwriter of her cabaret generation, but also about the only one: she writes short stories and sets them to music, stories of love and loss, and it is no surprise to discover that her great mentor was Jacques Brel, in whose songs she first appeared on Broadway a couple of decades ago." -- The Times
"In her presence you get that rare whiff of greatness." -- New York Times
"Amanda McBroom is not only the greatest singer/songwriter of her cabaret generation, but also about the only one: she writes short stories and sets them to music, stories of love and loss, and it is no surprise to discover that her great mentor was Jacques Brel, in whose songs she first appeared on Broadway a couple of decades ago." -- The Times
Down In The Alley
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