Customer Reviews

The Voice of God

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A lot of gospel, regardless of genre, is short on theology and long on the hereafter. While the hereafter is why gospel is here, so to speak, their are people on earth right now who need Jesus' message of love, healing and forgiveness. Then, of course, there's the welcome condemnation of hypocrites -- something Jesus also preached regularly.

With this in mind, Don Rigsby has collected a fresh, eclectic group of songs peopled with hypocrites, liars, alcoholics, prostitutes, drifters, orphans, addicts, thieves, and Christian faithful -- exactly the kinds of people to whom Jesus preached. The songs come from writers as diverse as Albert Brumley, Gillian Welch, Skip Ewing, Tom T. & Dixie Hall, Paul Craft, and Phil Wiggins (of Cephas and Wiggins).

The musical styles run the gamut from mountain balladry to country gospel, from blues to bluegrass gospel (from both black and white gospel repertoire). Through it all, Rigsby and his crackerjack band, Midnight Call, keep their fingers firmly on the pulse of traditional, high-lonesome bluegrass. Audiences have come to expect spine-tingling harmonies and sky-high leads from Rigsby and his band. They won't be disappointed.

There hasn't been a more innovative bluegrass album released in 2010 -- or a better one. "The Voice of God" should appeal to hardcore fans and newcomers alike.

Don Rigsby & Midnight Call
"The Voice Of God"
(Rebel Records, 2010)
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A top-flight bluegrass gospel set, with solid picking, sweet high harmonies, and a tremendous song selection. Rigsby hits all the right notes, both literally and figuratively, with a hefty dose of traditional material and standards by the likes of Albert Brumley, but better still he spotlights powerful new material from a troop of great contemporary songwriters, with fine songs such as "Charged With Being A Christian" by Paul Craft, Skip Ewing's modern-themed "The Gospel According To Luke," Phil Wiggins' "Forgiveness" and a few tunes he wrote himself, including "I Am An Orphan Child," which he co-wrote with Gillian Welch. One highlight is Tom T. Hall's "Then Y'ain't," a pithy calling-out of anyone who uses religion to say they're better, or smarter, or more holy than anyone else: if you do that, then you ain't got it right. A much-welcome message in these times when religious intolerance seems to divide the world, rather than spirituality unite it; balanced by Rigsby's abiding and undeniable faith, the message comes through loud and clear. If you like sanctified twang, this is a really strong record. (DJ Joe Sixpack, Slipcue Guide To Country Music)