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I first heard Alvin “Youngblood” Hart six years ago when I randomly picked his CD up.  I was blown away at his simple, laidback approach to the Blues.  I’ve been a fan every since.  When I saw the track list for Denzel Washington’s latest film, The Great Debaters, I knew I had to review it in hopes of more people discovering this relatively unknown genius. 

The Great Debaters is a labor of love Denzel Washington.  He is the driving force behind the film and no detail escaped his notice including the soundtrack.  Washington picked a collection of pre-1935 songs and have the recorded by some of today’s top musicians.  He picked songs that range from blues to Dixieland to civil rights march songs.  The artist include the afore mentioned Hart teaming up with soul diva Sharon Jones, The Carolina Chocolate Drops and Teenie Hodges.  You’ll also find tracks with Billy Rivers & the Angelic Voices of Faith, David Berger and the Sultans of Swing, Art Tatum and Marian Anderson.

While there are a few songs that don’t feature Alvin “Youngblood” Hart, this is could be described as Hart duo album.  Hart brings his considerable strength to the album and easily moves from song to song.  The hard driving “My Soul is a Witness” leads off the CD with its driving guitar and vocals between Hart and Sharon Jones.  The track sets up the album and gives you a good idea of what to expect for the rest of CD.  “That’s What My Baby Likes” has the duo joined by Teenie Hodges.  It’s laidback affair of pure bluesy goodness and allows Jones’ voice to shine.  Hart is joined by The Carolina Chocolate Drops for a bluegrass number.  The Carolina Chocolate Drops bring their fiddle to Hart’s guitar and the results are gold.  The Drops join Hart for the other songs “Busy Bootin’”, “City of Refuge” and “Nobody’s Fault but Mine”.  He even gets a solo track with “How Long Before I Change My Clothes”. It’s just Hart and his guitar. 

But enough about Hart, Sharon Jones is the other half of the CD and gets to show off her gospel vocals when she teams up with Billy Rivers & the Angelic Voices of Faith.  These are Sunday morning tent revival classics.  They cover the classic pro-civil rights anthem “We Shall Not Be Moved” and the gospel classic “Up Above My Head”.  Not to be left out are two excellent big band songs by David Berger & the Sultans of Swing.  Duke Ellington’s “Delta Serenade” and “Rock n’ Rye” are a nice edition but seem out of place with the blues and gospel music. It’s even more obvious with the last two tracks on the disc, “The Shout” and “Begrussung”.  While both pieces are of the time, neither seems to fit in with the rest of the music. 

The Great Debaters is a fantastic soundtrack.  Fans of blues and gospel will find this a need to own.  Washington has picked a fine selection of blues, gospel, jazz, big band and other songs to accompany his film.  If you’ve never heard or heard of Alvin ‘Youngblood’ Hart or Sharon Jones, now is your chance to finally listen to two of the best recording artist working today.

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