Subtitled "An African American Aural History," the scope of this two-CD set is impressive, encompassing poetry, writings, speeches, and music by many major Black musicians, writers, and activists of the 20th century. The focus of the disc, however, wavers enough to make it an uneven, jumpy listening experience, although it's a valuable source for educators and radio programmers that might want to draw upon specific tracks to make specific points. All but five of the 59 selections come from within the
Smithsonian Folkways collection itself, ranging in length from 20-second soundbites to six-minute musical performances. Whether read by others or by the authors themselves, this contains excerpts of notable literary works or speeches by significant African-Americans such as
Langston Hughes,
Harriet Tubman,
Frederick Douglass,
Booker T. Washington,
Angela Davis,
Bobby Seale,
Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Amiri Baraka,
Jayne Cortez, and
Ishmael Reed (sometimes read by notable actors like
Ossie Davis and
Ruby Dee). The music is a real mixed bag of styles, but again commendably diverse, with performances by
Reverend Gary Davis,
Leadbelly,
Muddy Waters,
Paul Robeson,
Hamiet Bluiett,
the Fisk Jubilee Singers,
Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry,
James P. Johnson, and
Arrested Development -- everything from
country-blues and
jazz to
gospel and
rap. Occasionally some of the pieces transcend their considerable historical/educational interest as incendiary performances in their own right, such as
Amiri Baraka's remarkably lively, visceral performance of his poem
"Dope" and
the Golden Eagles' infectious Mardi Gras percussive chants. There are extensive liner notes, but these don't always indicate the date of performance/recording, which even in case of the spoken word tracks would be useful information for many of the people apt to listen to such a disc. ~ Richie Unterberger
![Soul Food [Original Soundtrack]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0886974902423_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Soul Food [Original Soundtrack]")
![Shout Sister Shout [Proper]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0708535794127_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Shout Sister Shout [Proper]")
![Sings Spirituals [Bonus Tracks]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0029667017428_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Sings Spirituals [Bonus Tracks]")
