Track Listing

1. Opening Theme / Scott Bomar
2. Ain't But One Kind Of Blues / Son House
3. Just Like A Bird Without A Feather / Samuel L Jackson
4. When The Lights Go Out / The Black Keys
5. Standing In My Doorway Crying / Jesse Mae Hemphill
6. Chicken Heads / Bobby Rush
7. Black Snake Moan / Samuel L Jackson
8. Morning Train / Precious Bryant
9. The Losing Kind / John Doe
10. Lord Have Mercy On Me / Outragious Cherry
11. Ronnie and Rae's Theme / Scott Bomar
12. The Chain / Scott Bomar
13. Alice Mae / Samuel L Jackson
14. Stack-O-Lee / Samuel L Jackson
15. Old Black Mattie / R.L. Burnside
16. That's Where The Blues Started / Son House
17. Mean Ol' Wind Died Down / North Mississippi Allstars

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6461 in Music
• Released on: 2007-01-30
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack

Album Description
Black Snake Moan, the latest film from Hustle And Flow director Craig Brewer, tells a tale of love, betrayal, sex and salvation. It stars Samuel L Jackson, Christina Ricci and Justin Timberlake. The film take place in Memphis, Tennessee and the local blues music from the area is a central part of the movie.

The soundtrack includes some classic and current blues artists including Son House, R.L. Burnside, North Mississippi Allstars and the singing debut of Samuel L Jackson.

While the Black Snake Moan soundtrack presents the best musical moments of the movie, as a stand-alone document, its seventeen tracks weave together a raw depiction of today's North Mississippi scene: a little bit country, and a little bit rock'n'roll, both built on a bedrock of primitive blues.

The Black Snake Moan soundtrack is a must have for fans of the film, the Blues, Samuel L Jackson or just a music fan looking for something very cool.

Amazon.com
This soundtrack to the film written and directed by Craig Brewer is as steeped in the Southern blues as his Hustle and Flow was in hip-hop. The biggest surprise here is how well actor Samuel L. Jackson (who seems to have a thing for "Snake" films) holds his own as a blues singer against selections from Son House and R.L. Burnside. He sounds like a throwback to the classic Delta bluesmen on "Just Like a Bird Without a Feather," does a convincing take on the Blind Lemon Jefferson title track, and rocks the juke joint on "Alice Mae" and a down-and-dirty recasting of "Stack-O-Lee." Produced by the Bo-Keys' Scott Bomar (who also scored Brewer's previous movie), the 17-cut soundtrack features a kaleidoscopic array of blues, from the primal throb of the Black Keys' "When the Lights Go Out" and the funk of Bobby Rush's classic "Chicken Heads" to the spiritual lilt of Precious Bryant's "Morning Train" and the North Mississippi Allstars' expansive finale, "Mean Ol' Wind Died Down." --Don McLeese

From the Artist
"Fighting the blues," says movie director Craig Brewer, "is like beating back the ocean tide with a stick. It's best to just ride that wave of misery and see where it takes you. When Lazarus' (Samuel L Jackson) world comes crashing down around him he knows the routine. He swallows some whisky, pulls out his guitar, clears his throat, and opens his soul.

People from all over [the world] understand pain," adds Brewer, "and sometimes you've gotta crank up the blues and surrender to that repetitive, trance-inducing beat."

Customer Reviews

North Mississippi Hills blues sampler
The soundtrack to the upcoming film, "Black Snake Moan" is a nice curiosity for the blues aficionado, but like opening Pandora's box for the uninitiated. Those familiar with the hypnotic, drowning, trance-like sounds of the North Mississippi hills a la Fat Possum records will find a lot to enjoy here, including tracks by the actual visible heads of that style, such as the late Jessie Mae Hemphill and R.L. Burnside. In fact, this entire CD relies heavily on the aural legacy of R.L. Burnside, providing some sort of last will after the bluesman's passing last year.
For those unfamiliar with the evolution of blues as a genre, the North Mississippi blues is somehow primitive, repetitive (almost mantra-like), but results in a very authentic, tribal-style variety of the blues. But blues and movie lovers alike will be curious about Samuel L. Jackson's credibility as a bona fide blues singer. The surprise is how adequate he is. He might not be the next Muddy Waters, but he delivers convincingly and, despite lacking a thunderous voice, he owns the role of a bluesman as a modern herald of human suffering. His outrageous cover of "Stackolee" fronting the R.L. Burnside live unit plus Luther Dickinson from the North Mississippi Allstars is a highlight, but his recitative to eerie bluesy sounds in "Black Snake Moan" is even better.
The established names showing up in this CD include Bobby Rush, fresh from the Chitlin circuit, acoustic blues-gospel singer Precious Bryant, as well as the aforementioned Jessie Mae Hemphill and R.L. Burnside. One misses at least one track from the other godfather of the North Mississippi sound, Junior Kimbrough. Many listeners will be already familiar with the North Mississippi Allstars. Their entry on this CD is a mellow, evocative piece augmented by fife-and-drum background over NMA's classic and classy slide sound.
The soundtrack tracks, by Scott Bomar, include a true allstar lineup including the Dickinson brothers and Charlie Musselwhite on harp, and they are uniformly exciting and interesting, keeping a sense of continuity throughout the CD.
In summary, this is more than a curiosity for blues aficionados, sitting proudly by their Junior Kimbroughs' and R.L. Burnsides', and it will definitively attract outside attention to this particular brand of the blues, providing an introductory-level package that will bring on more "true believers". Highly recommended.

Wonderful Soundtrack!
Watching the movie I was overwhelmed by the greatness of its soundtrack, and after purchasing this CD I was pleased to see that everything still seemed as wonderful. I am not a blues afficianado, but I do appreciate good music. I think that most anyone could enjoy this soundtrack.

Stack-O-Lee from RL Burnside CD "Well, Well, Well..." on MC Records
This is a very good soundtrack heavily influenced by R.L. Burnside. That raunchy, X-rated version of Stack-O-Lee sung by Samuel Jackson is directly from a version that Burnside sings on his MC Records CD "Well, Well, Well..." (that incidentally has blues singer Curtis Salgado laughing wickedly in the background). I believe the Burnside recording is the most unique version of this song ever recorded.