Campbell Brothers

If going to church every Sunday meant partaking in a Campbell Brothers praise hour the next census would show a marked increase in religious adherence. House of God church members the Campbell Brothers are at the crossroads between gospel, spirituals, blues and leg weakening funk and their sonic attack is seismic — they could smite the walls of Jericho in 12 bars. The four brothers — on lap steel, pedal steel, electric guitar and drums — lay down seven pew shattering originals and four covers including an instrumental version of Sam Cooke’s "A Change is Gonna Come.” Produced by John Medeski (who also plays organ on the disc), the sound is brave, on your face and lively. Opening track "Frammin” could perform a few miracles on its own — perhaps make the crippled walk, or dance — so absolutely addictive is its groove. The Sacred Steel sound is so lyrical it supplants the need for a vocalist on many of the tracks, a fact that could actually widen the audience for this band. Without the distraction of denominationally exclusive lyrics the mesmerising experience of listening to these jams may in fact give credence to the theory that listening to the music itself is a common religious experience.