Alvin Youngblood Hart.

Alvin Youngblood Hart isn't one of those memorize-the-78 acoustic bluesmen -- not that there's anything wrong with that. Strictly speaking, in fact, Hart is not justa bluesman, though he's been nominated for a blues Grammy and won a Handy Award. In the tradition of Taj Mahal (or Leadbelly, for that matter), the Memphis-based Hart reserves the right to electrify a blues tune when the mood strikes, though it hasn't been many months since he toured in a rock band with former Black Crowes guitarist Audley Freed. Still, Hart's a master when he tackles one of those old tunes like "Gallows Pole" or "Mama Don't Allow," whether he's pushing it through a vintage National steel guitar, a banjo, a mandolin -- or simply through his own high-powered voice.