Listen to the soundtrack of America

The soundtrack of America encompasses heartbreak, joy, revolution, and survival.  Kwame Alexander's immersive picture book provides a vast and diverse timeline of African American musical traditions spanning from the talking drums of West Africa bidding farewell up to current artists like Kendrick Lamar and Megan Thee Stallion and the bold, beautiful sounds of today.  The text reads like a poem of song titles and styles ranging from gospel, blues, jazz, and soul, to rap and everything in between.  

This review covers both the picture book and audiobook.  They pair beautifully together and provide complementary experiences in sound and sight.  The picture book features 48 pages of illustrated text and comprehensive notes.  The illustrated section is 32 pages long and approximately 10 minutes in length in the audiobook.  The audiobook clocks in at a little over 51 minutes, so that gives you a sense of the rich background material that is shared in the Musical Notes section of book.  The notes highlight the musical selections on the timeline of music and shares specific information about the genres and more than 80 artists featured.  

Iconic images of famous faces are incorporated into Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award winning artist Charly Palmer's illustrations.  Each vibrant two-page spread represents a genre and background theme that includes famous musicians and scenes from everyday life.  My favorite includes Jimi Hendrix, Tina Turner, Prince and Little Richard segueing to an image of a young black woman dressed in 50s attire selecting songs from a jukebox.

The title of the book is taken from the lyrics of the famous hymn, "Amazing Grace," the history of which is explained in the Musical Notes at the end of the book.