On the surface,
Marty Stuart's Soul's Chapel is a
gospel album -- but only on the surface. Certainly all of the tracks here, whether covers or originals -- and the album is divided neatly between the two -- the topical considerations come from the Southern church.
Stuart has always been adventurous in reinterpreting the music he holds most dear, from
bluegrass to
honky tonk to
rockabilly. His take on
gospel is no less ambitious. Here,
blues,
soul,
r&b, hard
country, and early
country-
rockabilly -- along with gorgeous four-part harmony -- wend and wind around one another to create a tapestry so rich, so utterly full of honest emotion and joy, that it transcends the intended genre; not by subverting or bastardizing it, but by showing how
gospel music is inherent in all of the other traditions that
Stuart employs. The album opens with
Pops Staples' "Somebody Saved Me." The song is reverent, and contains gorgeous backing vocals provided by the Fabulous Superlatives (
Harry Stinson,
Brian Glenn, and
Kenny Vaughn), while
Stuart apes that snaky, spooky guitar
Pops played. But this is no mere cover job --
Stuart and friends bring out some of the bluesy wildness in the song without revving it up. And speaking of
blues,
Stuart's cover of Albert Brumley's "Lord, Give Me Just a Little More Time" contains the trademark guitar riff from "Baby Please Don't Go." Another high point is "Come into the House of the Lord," written by
Stuart and
Vaughn, which is just a stomping
gospel rocker with swirling B3, twin guitars, and a snapping trap kit. "It's Time to Go Home" is a rollicking
rockabilly stomper that is equal parts
Tommy Dorsey's
gospel-vocal and
Johnny Burnette's salacious wildness! "Move Along Train," written by
Pops, includes a smoking guest appearance by
Mavis Staples. and the read of
Steve Cropper and
William Bell's "Slow Train" is a
soul masterpiece with a killer vocal by
Stinson, supported by
Barry Beckett's Hammond B3.
Stuart stands up to the classic material; he writes in the idiom, but with his own strengths at the fore -- especially notable is "There's a Rainbow (At the End of Every Storm)." This is one of, if not
the, strongest outing of
Stuart's career, and it not only pays homage to
gospel music's rich and varied tradition, but adds to it. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
