Alvin "Youngblood" Hart has moments when he sounds like the second coming of Taj Mahal, a man who helped him considerably early in his career. But whereas Taj Mahal can be elegant and debonair -- when he's not completely gutbucket -- Hart comes across as an impassioned protester, a blues activist willing also to have some fun. With his long, braided hair and full, commanding beard whipping through the air as he sings, Hart, who's built like a defensive end, lets anger and electricity creep back into his version of the blues, a style he has dubbed "freedom rock." With songs such as "Manos Arriba (Hands Up)," about being mistakenly detained by police outside the club where he was scheduled to play, or "A Prophet's Mission," about Tecumseh's brother's determination to keep his American Indian nation free, Hart has something to say. But his versions of Chuck Berry's "Back to Memphis," the Cornelius Brothers' terrific "Treat Her Like a Lady" and even Black Oak Arkansas' "Cryin' Shame" make it clear he's also out to enjoy music -- wherever it comes from.
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