The Blind Boys of Alabama
Spirit of the Century (RealWorld)
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That old southern preacher, the Rev. Mick Jagger, would undoubtedly hear these versions of “Just Wanna See His Face” and “The Last Time,” and be immediately overcome with humility and prayer. Of course, the Rolling Stones have borrowed from gospel music for three decades; why shouldn’t this 62-year-old Birmingham, Ala., trio finally get some payback? Singers Clarence Fountain, Jimmy Carter and George Scott modernize their classic Christian-hymn style with Stones, Tom Waits and Ben Harper songs, and allow veteran guitarists David Lindley and John Hammond Jr. to duel from opposing speakers on “Soldier.” But they know better than to relinquish the spotlight; their harmonies, soaring in and out of “Run On for a Long Time” and joining as one in “Motherless Child,” are enough to give even Keith Richards religion.