**Exclusive** A Gospel Honkey-Tonk Friday from The Sacred Shakers w/Eilen Jewell (Signature Sounds, August 12)
Some of my all time favorite records over the last decade or five have been gospel influenced, which is strange because I’m actually indifferent about the traditional genre known as “Gospel Music”. Whether it’s Johnny Cash singing gospel hymns or Gordon Gano hashing through his religious beliefs or even Iris Dement’s small little gospel record she released five years back, these albums with their celebration of life complete with all it’s ups and downs are very attractive to me.
One of the new era gospel records I have been looking forward to is the one being put out by Signature Sounds this August by The Sacred Shakers featuring Eilen Jewell. In fact this record has more in common with early Sun Records period Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley than any of the schlock that passes for contemporary Christian music today. It’s rooted in the blues/folk and hard country of the Southern states with a healthy dose of Texas two step mixed in for good measure. It doesn’t hurt that Eilen Jewell is the lead singer on a number of these tracks, her voice is as suited to gospel as is the the alt-country she’s become known for on her solo releases. This is some of the most uplifting, heart healthy music you’re likely to hear and this is coming from a life long agnostic who’s verging toward atheism with every new calamity and moral collapse.
Pre-order this August 12 release here or here (it’s a much better deal here).
