Pass Me Not: Sacred Steel Guitars, Vol. 2

Pass Me Not: Sacred Steel Guitars, Vol. 2 Review

I never heard guitars talk the way they do when played by the Campbell brothers. They approach the guitar as a human voice, and they succeed better than anyone I ever heard.
With a change of the lyrics, this could have sounded like a truly great and innovative Chicago blues band. The difference is mostly in lyrics and in that the Brothers go all the way all the time - no laid back moment throughout the CD.
For some reason I prefer the tracks that were recorded without Kate Jackson (11-14). Make no mistake - she is an awsome singer. I just feel that if I could hear someone like Julius Cheeks, Archie Brownlee, or the soloists of the Caravans, the Soul Stirrers or The Swan Silvertones - backed by the amazing guitars of the Campbell brothers - I would never stop listening.
All the tracks are good - the opener is chilling, Mary Dont you Weep remains one of my favorites ("Pharoe's army got drowned in the sea" - to me is a political agenda).
A spiritual CD to warm you up when your'e down and out.

Pass Me Not: Sacred Steel Guitars, Vol. 2 Overview

If, as many sacred musicians believe, the blues is "devil's music," who, pray tell, is responsible for the feverish music on this sacred-steel record? Sorry to say, this music is nasty in the most righteous sense of the word. The Campbell Brothers, led by incredible pedal-steel guitarist Chuck and electric guitarist-bassist Phil, play an almost insurgent brand of sacred-steel music--a form with deep ties to the Church of the Living God, Keith Dominion--that adds the urgency of rock, the exploration of jazz, and the grit of the blues to its roots. On his pedal steel, Chuck is capable of otherworldly shouts and wails, melodic beauty, and speedy runs of head-spinning alacrity. The sheer number of distinct tones he coaxes is amazing. And when Katie Jackson delivers her wrought-up and commanding vocals, the intensity is almost too much to bear. Youngest brother Darick trades lap-steel licks with Chuck on three standout cuts and offers an urgent vocal workout on one live tune recorded at their father's church. If this is God's work, imagine what would happen if the devil got a hold of these guys! --Marc Greilsamer

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