Sam Jackson sings the blues

I still don't know what to make of "Hustle and Flow." It was a combination of "Cinderella," "Wall Street," and "Working Girl." Like all those movies, you root for the guy, but to get you to root for him, he has to be SO syrupy. It's hard out there for a pimp? Duh.

Just the cast listing makes the writer/director's latest movie, "Back Snake Moan," sound just as confounding. The movie, out February 23rd, has Sam Jackson, Christina Ricci, David Banner (yes, the rapper) and Justin Timberlake (flanked by Timbaland at all times, I'm sure). Throw in theme of race and sex in the South, and it's one of those movies that likely will either be a triumph or an overblown borderline snuff film

Samuel plays a bluesman, and apparently he has fully immersed himself in the part. The soundtrack has — I wouldn't say it's a version as much as a song inspired by — the blues classic "Stack 'O Lee." Or it's just another excuse to record Sam Jackson throwing out cuss words.

Samuel L. Jackson — "Stack 'O Lee"

For some reason, when I listen to the song, I think of this:


And to compare, here's one of the originals
Mississippi John Hurt — "Stack O'Lee Blues"