The Bottom Line
Pros
- "Unclouded Day"
- "Denomination Blues"
- "Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down"
Cons
- None.
Description
- Featuring Johnny Cash's final session, recorded in June of 2003.
- Includes songs from Rodney Crowell, Marty Stuart, Vince Gill, and many others.
- Produced by John Carter Cash for Dualtone Records.
Guide Review - Various Artists - Voice of the Spirit, Gospel of the South
Sometimes I find it hard to review gospel, as though judging the music is also judging the subject matter. But in this case I don't feel awkward about it, because the songs on this disc are more than worthy. With singers ranging from glorious choirs to the blues-and-grit of Mavis Staples, from the majesty of Johnny Cash (this was the only song he recorded after June's death) to the timeless tenor of Vince Gill, the songs gathered on this disc speak from the heart to the heart.Beginning with Mac Wiseman's solid "By The Side of the Road," each song very much captures the "spirit," and the voice of the south, especially Rodney Crowell's amusing version of "Denomination Blues," which, while speaking mostly of the branches of southern Baptists, is rather timely today considering the unrest which exists between all the "children of Abraham." Connie Smith's voice is as perfect as always with her take on "Over The Next Hill We'll Be Home," and it's a stand-up amen for the Fisk Jubilee Singers when they present "Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down."
Country music has always been "sinning on Saturday, saved on Sunday." The rural south is the home of this style of gospel music, the hand-clapping Southern Baptist glory sound, and these artists know it like their own home. It's a part of the heart, part of the style, and part of the roots.
