Rockabilly music, one of rock & roll's earliest strains, was brought forth in the mid-to-late '50s, when artists like Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, Elvis and a host of others combined equal parts of rock, pop and country music to achieve the rockabilly sound. Later, in the post-punk era of the late '70s and early '80s, rockabilly music experienced a revival of sorts under flagship groups like the Stray Cats and has alternately fallen into and out of prominence from that time to the present date. As with most various artist tribute albums, the Rockabilly And Western Gospel Hymns release alternately hits and misses the mark in acknowledging its given slice of musical history. Perhaps the main factor making this album so wildly inconsistent is its continual oscillation between energetic and heartfelt song renditions that commendably retain both the texture and culture of the rockabilly style, and cheeky, nearly parodied, versions of the represented songs. "Think Twice" by the Wednesdays and "Be Boppin Baby" by the Revelers are both fine songs faithfully constructed on the rockabilly stencil. The former lays retro Elvislike vocals and the characteristic Bo Diddley beat over an energetic double-pumped drum attack. And the latter is an equally impressive combination of sparse, well-placed guitar phrases, muted stand-up bass and authentic rockabilly lingo (every time I turn around/there's a new cat standing in my way/ ... well, she don't want no hip cat, greasy daddy/I pray some day she will), all of which give the song a delightfully subdued western swing feel. On the other hand, the vocal delivery on Matt and Johnny Ray's version of "Amazing Grace," which purposely alternates between flat and sharp, ostensibly for satirical effect, does little except bring an otherwise passable song to a virtual standstill. And the amateurish, near-cracking vocals on "I'll Fly Away" by Dave Heater and the Swing'n Doors are more off-putting than funny and only serve to highlight the song's lack of energy and distinctive instrumental work.
It seems a safe bet that at least a few of the cuts on the album will inevitably be compared, at least among country and gospel music purists, to their more famous cover version counterparts. Uncle Tupelo's moving, country-tinged version of "No Depression" from their 1990 debut album, for example, stands much superior to the Burnside Cadillac compilation take on the classic Carter Family hymn, which lamentably whitewashes the song's beautifully melancholy essence with its overly energetic delivery. And Ruby Joe's authentic sounding, but overly repetitive, rendition of the traditional African-American spiritual "Joshua Fit the Battle" grows fairly long in the tooth by the song's end and easily pales in comparison to, say, Elvis' more passionate and varied arrangement from his gospel magnum opus "His Hand in Mine." And even the delightfully perky "I Dreamed I Searched Heaven" by Thee Spivies, which stays exceptionally true to the original song's melody line while still capturing the group's unique power pop style and energy, is still no match for the late '50s country gospel rendering by Kitty Wells which is, at once, inescapably haunting and majestic. Of course, the majority of the people who listen to this compilation will never have even heard the earlier versions of these hymns, and, indeed, most artists who try their hand at rockabilly music today would understandably come up short when compared to such formidable talents as Presley and Wells.
Still, in spite of its relative unevenness, the largely entertaining album certainly contains more fine songs than flawed ones and at least a few of the tunes in the lot are true gems. To be sure, the minimalist guitar note placement, muted bassline and softly brushed percussion on Sons of Thunder's "Jesus You Are Worthy" infuse the song with a magnificently reverent feel, while the song's imposing vocal work is the perfect combination of earnestness and restraint. And the band's blistering fretwork, passionate delivery and razor-sharp harmonies each contribute to making "Saved! Saved! Saved!" not only an impressive entry into the neo-rockabilly swing catalog, but also a veritable template for great rock & roll music. So, while the album isn't perfect from start to finish, it certainly contains enough strong tracks to make it a worthwhile listen. And even though it contains its fair share of weak and superfluous tracks, it nonetheless serves as a fine introduction to the history of both the gospel and western/rockabilly music genres, which is a commendable undertaking indeed.
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Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #81Reviewed by David M. PoggeWith the sounds of rockabilly sweeping the nation as the next big fad following swing, it is only right that someone capitalizes off of the waywardness of teenage loyalties. In all seriousness, the folks at Jackson/Rubio have done a great job putting together this collection of rockabilly favorites and remakes guaranteed to bring families together as Grandma and Grandpa right on down to little…Bandoppler 1999Reviewed by Sucré MusiqueYeeeehaw!! If ever a hymn collection made one want to two-step, this is it! An eclectic assembly of current bands with talent to boot has been culled for our listening pleasure. But this is not yer typical country twang; because, yours truly would rather gag on a spur than listen to what most refer to as country music. Instead, this collection runs the gamut, spanning the breadth and width of…Decapolis 1999Reviewed by ConradThis comp is pretty good just because it's rockabilly and there's quite a number of decent songs. My favorites were the gospel numbers. There are also a lot of songs about trains, "I'm on the train to glory," type lyrics. Of course with any comp there are going to be bad songs. This one has a few that are complete throwaways. But for the most part it's a decent comp. B-Decapolis 1999Reviewed by Tom BastianThis was a pretty good comp. First off, most, if not all of the songs are unreleased, always a plus with compilations. The other plus is that not all the bands on the comp are on the same label. Yet one more plus is that all the songs generally fit into the rockabilly category, so there is a definite theme to this comp. The songs that stood out to me include "Train 13" by Havalina Rail Co., "I…Decapolis 1999Reviewed by TimThis album is typical rockabilly stuff. It has the same vibe as the last Mike Ness album. That is basically the only good way to explain it. My favorite song is "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho" by Ruby Joe. While this album has a few highlights, like the great guitar leads, I have to say that I would just rather listen to Buddy Holly or Johnny Cash...but this is a tribute album...so I guess…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Trish PattersonJackson/Rubio Entertainment has taken sixteen of this country's favorite old hymns and put them onto one CD. That in itself is not unusual, but this particular compilation album's distinction is the rock-a-billy style of music it features by various artists, some of whom have come out of their comfort zone to record songs outside their usual genre. What is rock-a-billy? The liner notes include a…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Steven S. BaldwinBack during its heyday, original Rockabilly artists often incorporated Country and Western gospel hymns into their repertoire. In that spirit, Jackson/Rubio and their impressive roster of new artists and friends have released an album jam packed with hymns played in everything from a retro-Rockabilly style to more updated Punkabilly. As anyone who has ever heard a Havalina Rail Co. album knows,…
