Kelly Joe Phelps has, over the course of nearly a dozen releases, proven himself to be one of the most stirring songwriters on the ever-vibrant contemporary American folk singer-songwriter circuit. Now, with his eleventh release, Phelps leans hard against the gospel, using his imaginative blend of contemporary folk and traditional delta blues to witness on the Bible and all manner of issues of faith.
The disc, while musically proficient and artistically assertive, may not be up the alley of a lot of secularist-humanist, atheist, or agnostic folk music fans, as it testifies heavily on matters of scripture. In my opinion it treads the fine line between traditional gospel and Christian contemporary, often teetering particularly heavily toward the latter. But, if you can tune out the imagery about the cross and sinners and glory and hell, there's good universally themed music in there somewhere. Learn more about Brother Sinner & the Whale with this full review.
image © Black Hen Music
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