Charlie Daniels - Songs from the Longleaf Pines

It's hard to review gospel music without sounding sacrilegious. These songs come largely from the folk gospel hymnals of the Appalachians, with sacred tunes written by A.P. Carter, Bill Monroe, and Albert E. Brumley as well as many older hymns in the public domain; the music is likewise pure Appalachia, sweet Kentucky bluegrass provided by some of the greatest names in today's bluegrass, and all together it makes for some beautiful Sunday morning music.

Country music and gospel have been walking hand-in-hand for decades, although it's been some time since there was gospel music on the country charts. Lately that's been changing, with folks like Randy Travis, Alan Jackson, and Buddy Jewell reviving the genre and the overall mood of the country making faith once again "cool."

Comes Charlie Daniels, who made himself a crossover giant with the almost-profane "Devil Went Down To Georgia," and his sweet-as-honey fiddle playing, to lend his vocals to a collection of gentle and harmonious gospel tracks. Charlie's vocal abilities are often sorely overlooked, and it's nice to hear him exercising those chords rather than just the ones on his admittedly wondrous violin. Charlie also proves he can recite as well as Johnny Cash could, with his readings of the 91st and 23rd Psalms.

Daniels is joined by some of the finest names in bluegrass music, from Earl Scruggs to Chris Thile, as well as the upcoming patriarch of the genre, Ricky Skaggs. With some incredible playing and obviously beautiful lyrics, there's nothing on this disc to turn of any music lover, of any denomination.