Territory (Alvin Youngblood Hart album)

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Territory
Studio album by
Alvin Youngblood Hart
Released1998
GenreBlues
LabelHannibal/Rykodisc
ProducerMichael Nash, Carey Williams
Alvin Youngblood Hart chronology
Big Mama's Door
(1996) 		Territory
(1998) 		Start with the Soul
(2000)

Territory is the second album by the American musician Alvin Youngblood Hart, released in 1998.[1][2] It was his first album for a Rykodisc label.[3] Hart supported the album with a British tour, as well as an appearance at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival.[4][5]

Production[edit]

"Ice Rose" is a cover of the Captain Beefheart song.[6] "Illinois Blues" was written by Skip James.[7] "John Hardy" is a version of the traditional folk song.[8] Hart's cover of "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" was inspired by X's interpretation of the song.[9] "Countrycide" references an 1886 lynching in Carroll County, Mississippi.[10] Hart played acoustic guitar, electric guitar, six-strings, concertina, lap steel, 12-strings, dobro, and mandolin.[11]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Birmingham Post[13]
Calgary Herald[14]
Robert ChristgauA−[15]
Edmonton Journal[3]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[16]
Vancouver Sun[8]

The Observer called Hart "the best of the new crop of acoustic bluesmen."[6] The Chicago Tribune noted that "Hart's distinctive voice and rocking spirit draw a straight line through everything"; the paper chose the album as the second best blues album of 1998.[17][18] The Calgary Herald wrote that "Hart stretches stylistically ... while impressively staying true to his acoustic blues heart."[14] The Birmingham Post deemed Hart "a wonderfully inventive player happily mining away at odd, forgotten seams in the vast motherlode of American music."[13]

The Washington Post opined: "Playing a variety of acoustic and electric instruments, he brings surprising color and texture to an improbable but thoroughly enjoyable collection."[19] Newsday concluded that "all this variety might be pointless showing-off were it not for his consistently inventive guitar and compelling vocals, which seem to carry urgent messages from a long-lost past."[20] JazzTimes determined that "Hart’s obvious command of Piedmont and Delta styles is beautifully balanced by a sincere and soulful expression."[21]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."Tallacatcha" 
2."Illinois Blues" 
3."Ouachita Run" 
4."Sallie, Queen of the Pines" 
5."Countrycide" 
6."Ice Rose" 
7."Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" 
8."Mama Don't Allow" 
9."John Hardy" 
10."Just About to Go" 
11."Underway at Seven" 

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Alvin Youngblood Hart". Sunday Datebook. San Francisco Chronicle. 21 June 1998. p. 40.
  2. ^ "Alvin Youngblood Hart Biography by Richard Skelly". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Nothing but Talent". Edmonton Journal. 3 Oct 1998. p. C3.
  4. ^ Trapp, Roger (18 July 1998). "Music: Jazz & Blues". Features. The Independent. p. 39.
  5. ^ "Seven Unsung Headliners". Edmonton Journal. 6 Aug 1998. p. C5.
  6. ^ a b Spencer, Neil (28 June 1998). "The Week in Reviews: New pop CDs". The Observer Review Page. The Observer. p. 11.
  7. ^ Adams, Rob (4 July 1998). "On the Record". The Herald. Glasgow. p. 6.
  8. ^ a b Harrison, Tom (21 July 1998). "Alvin Youngblood Hart Territory". Vancouver Sun. p. B3.
  9. ^ Ray, Linda (21 Aug 1998). "In Chicago, Sweet Home Mississippi". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 2.
  10. ^ Reilly, Terry (23 Oct 1998). "CD Reviews". Entertainment Guide. The Age. p. 8.
  11. ^ McLennan, Scott (27 Aug 1998). "Alvin Youngblood Hart has a gift for suspending time...". Telegram & Gazette. p. C5.
  12. ^ "Territory Review by Tim Sheridan". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  13. ^ a b Langley, Sid (25 July 1998). "Alvin Youngblood Hart,Territory". Birmingham Post. p. 35.
  14. ^ a b Muretich, James (23 July 1998). "CD of the Week". Calgary Herald. p. HL20.
  15. ^ "Alvin Youngblood Hart". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  16. ^ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 246.
  17. ^ Knopper, Steve (12 July 1998). "Recordings". Arts & Entertainment. Chicago Tribune. p. 12.
  18. ^ Knopper, Steve (6 Dec 1998). "Sound Decisions". Arts & Entertainment. Chicago Tribune. p. 10.
  19. ^ Joyce, Mike (26 Aug 1998). "Three Hues of Blues". The Washington Post. p. D5.
  20. ^ Young, Jon (27 Aug 1998). "New Sounds". Newsday. p. C7.
  21. ^ Milkowski, Bill (October 1, 1998). "Alvin Youngblood Hart: Territory". JazzTimes.
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