Black Snake Moan - Soundtrack

I have been fascinated with the bizarre, almost surrealistic movie Black Snake Moan since it came out and, of course, have totally dug the main character, Lazarus (played by Samuel Jackson), a retired bluesman who still falls back on his music in times of trouble and sorrow. This soundtrack, while flawed as almost all soundtracks are, is a cool companion to this very politically incorrect movie filled with twisted biblical allegories and wild symbolism (a space heater is one of the main characters in the story!).

The movie is dedicated to bluesman R.L. Burnside and utilizes many of his songs and even his sidemen. Jackson actually learned how to play guitar for the movie, though I'm not sure if he really appears on the soundtrack or he just used that so that he could be convincing on screen. Jackson does sing here though and there are some superb moody tracks ("Black Snake Moan" - a Blind Lemon Jefferson tune - and "Just Like a Bird Without a Feather") and outrageously upbeat wildness ("Alice Mae", "Stackolee"). Other artists on the soundtrack include Burnside himself, John Doe (of X), Precious Bryant, the Black Keys and more.

Not a perfect blues album by any stretch but some fun tunes worth checking out. Funnily, this soundtrack tends to be more expensive than the DVD itself, but both are cool blues!