Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

The brainchild of Fat Possum Records' Bruce Watson, a new gospel label called Bible & Tire has been launched to shine a light on new and archive gospel recordings and the first release to come out of the blocks is the debut album from US gospel sibling outfit Chris, Courtney and Calvin Barnes - better known as the Sensational Barnes Brothers. The Barnes boys come from a rich musical background - their late father Calvin "Duke" Barnes was a celebrated solo artist and mother Deborah a backing vocalist for Ray Charles - and this legacy shows on a simply sublime offering which mixes gospel, soul and blues to great effect. Helped by top notch musicians who ooze class and confidence throughout, vocalists Chris and Courtney work their way through some great gospel and hope-themed numbers such as "I Made It Over", "I Won't Have To Cry No More" and "Try The Lord" whilst the upbeat title track gives a tantalising hint at what it would have sounded like if Wilson Pickett had covered Blind Willie Johnson. Special mention should go to the beefy horns of Jim Spake and Art Edmaiston who sprinkle funky fairy dust on every track they grace including a superb cover of the Staple Singers stalwart "Why Am I Treated So Bad" whilst the aforementioned Calvin Sr pulls perhaps the vocal performance of his career out of the bag on the stunningly poignant "Let It Be Good" to provide the icing on this rather sumptuous cake.

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