Reviewed by Tony May

The Holmeses have been a major driving force in R&B for a while now, turning in a gritty, soul-soaked, hard-edged variety to shiver the spine. Peter Gabriel recorded this at his Wiltshire studio and called in a rare old cross-section of roots music practitioners from around the globe.  This, the traditional material like "Amazing Grace", "I'll Fly Away", "Will The Circle Be Unbroken", "Do Lord" and the other standards come out with a pounding, pulsating freshness and vitality. The superb Holmes voices hammer home the songs in a strutting style that's a delight to even the most jaundiced listener. Old gospel music, true to its roots, yet stunningly alive with contemporary relevance. Should your local emporium look askance, your ol' pal at Dual Edge can help you out.

Also reviewed in CR33:
Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes!... That's about all I could say after every wonderful gutsy rendition of old gospel classics like "I'll Fly Away", "Just A Closer Walk With Thee", "Amazing Grace" and "Oh How I Love Jesus". This is a stunning piece of work from the sizzling hot Holmes Brothers and it's so good that I'm gonna say only one more thing before I listen again. In years to come, you will not be able to call yourself a serious fan of CCM unless this disc is in your collection. Let's see now...hit the play button and...Oh Yes! Oh Yes! Oh Yes!
10
Sammy Horner

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.