Reviewed by Dave Brassington

This is the debut album from a North Carolina six-piece and is an example of authentic bluegrass gospel and it's hugely impressive. Bluegrass followers might recognize the song "Daniel Prayed", recorded years ago by the legendary Stanley Brothers, and just about everybody will know the Bill Gaither classic "Because He Lives". The rest though are original songs. The first thing that really stands out here is the quality of the lead vocalists. "Welcome Home" is a really listenable track, with simply beautiful lead singing while "Rise And Shine" is an extremely catchy piece. The whole album features impressive musicianship so that I suspect that the Gospel Plowboys have been honing their skills for years in other bluegrass groups. "The Dream" is a song of immense spiritual quality, beautifully and movingly sung, to me the epitome of what a gospel song should be with uplifting lyrics. This brilliant set could possibly be the best bluegrass album of the year.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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