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Posted by Kevan Breitinger Aug 31, 2006 |
And if you love pure country, you're gonna wanna get a hold of "By the Grace of God: The Gospel Album." The album serves as Locklin's straight-forward testimony, including songs that he's written over the past several decades, along with a handful of classic gospel tunes, including "Power In The Blood" and "Just A Closer Walk With Thee." The first single is the Locklin-penned "Turn On to Jesus," featuring the award-winning quartet Gold City. The project also greatly involves his son, Hank Adam, to a large degree, including 2 of his songs and a lot of his vocals.
The genesis of the album goes back to 1982, when Locklin was struggling with his writing and his drinking (the track "The Bottle (For the Cross" covers this topic winningly with sincere and honest regret). The album opener and first single, "Right Out of a Clear Blue Sky," shares how he found his answers. "By the Grace of God: The Gospel Album" is brimming with faith expressed honestly and simply, in 22, yup, count 'em, 22 tracks. Most of these piano-driven songs run between the 2-3 minute mark, and many include popular artists like Gold City, Jeff & Sheri Easter, the Oak Ridge Boys, and the Jordanaires. The accompaniment is generally traditional country and high-caliber. Standout tracks include "Today Has Already Come to Pass" featuring Jeff & Sheri Easter and some sweet fiddle, and "My Soul is Strong," an upbeat piano-driven song highlighting the talent of son Hank Adam. For insights into Locklin's journey, check out "Wisdom and Knowledge" and "From Thorns to Feathers."
The five bonus tracks are a series of classic hymns which father and son cover warmly. It is very clear that the two shared the recording of "By the Grace of God: The Gospel" as a labor of love, and it makes the listening all the sweeter.