Topdog/Underdog Soundtrack CD

The music used in the Broadway play Topdog/Underdog, about two orphaned African-American brothers, is a mixed and disjointed bag, like many such plays that use a variety of music from records in the production. The 12 selections include some important African-American music, but the jumble of blues, soul, jazz, and hip-hop doesn't flow well as a listening experience, even if it might be more effective or logical as the background setting to a theatrical endeavor. There are some classic electric Chicago blues by Howlin' Wolf ("Poor Boy"), Muddy Waters ("Got My Mojo Workin'"), and John Lee Hooker ("Boom Boom"); classic acoustic blues by Robert Johnson ("Hell Hound on My Trail") and Son House ("Drinkin' in Your Face"); James Brown's great soul hit "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag"; and good jazz by Wayne Shorter. There's also rap, and not as classic, by Wu-Tang Clan, DMX, Jay-Z, and Mos Def (one of the two stars of the play), and an OK, brief, moody acoustic blues piece by Jeffrey Wright (the other star of the play). If this turns on some listeners to some great music they haven't heard before, that's good. But as a compilation of songs on its own terms, this is too brief and inconsistent, with no firm stylistic theme. ~ Richie Unterberger

Ostensibly a soundtrack to the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play, Topdog/Underdog is really a brief history of 20th century African American music. Hip-hop, blues, and R&B are duly represented. DMX, Jay-Z, Wu-Tang Clan, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker, and James Brown check in with some of their most representative tunes (Topdog/Underdog stars Mos Def and Jeffrey Wright also contribute a track each). Of course, the hit-and-run approach doesn't benefit these mostly brilliant tracks. Still, it makes more sense than the average movie soundtrack -- the link between Johnson's "Hell Hound on My Trail" and Wu-Tang's "Let My N****s Live" is not as tenuous as it may seem. ~ Michael Gallucci

Includes liner notes by Suzan-Lori Parks.

Principal Cast: Jeffrey Wright (Lincoln); Mos Def (Booth).

Principal cast includes: Jeffrey Wright, Mos Def.

Personnel: Jeffrey Wright (vocals, guitar).

Recording information: The Cutting Room, New York, NY.

Director: George C. Wolfe.

Photographer: Michael Daniels.