United States

Atom Bomb

Released 15 March 2005

Atom Bomb
Demons
Talk About Suffering
I Know I've Been Converted
Old Blind Barnabas
Spirit In The Sky
Faith And Grace
New Born Soul
Presence of The Lord
Moses

Liner notes

While the sound of traditional soul gospel is still unmistakably at its core, Atom Bomb, the group’s latest album, includes The Blind Boys’ most adventurous forays into pop music yet, featuring loops, raps and roaring blues riffs. The disc includes an exuberant version of the Fatboy Slim/Macy Gray tune “Demons,” featuring rapper Gift of Gab from Blackalicious, while Los Lobos guitarist David Hidalgo and blues harp icon Charlie Musselwhite help recast Norman Greenbaum’s gospel-rock classic “Spirit in the Sky” as a raw, Detroit-style boogie.

The 10-track disc also includes a joyous rendition of Eric Clapton/Blind Faith’s “Presence of the Lord,” featuring the legendary Billy Preston on Hammond B3, as well as The Blind Boys’ spin on such traditional tunes as “Old Blind Barnabus” (a song suggested to the group by Tom Waits), “I Know I’ve Been Converted,” “Talk About Suffering” and “Moses.” The title song, meanwhile, is a remake of an early Cold War-era Soul Stirrers tune that proves uncannily relevant some 55 years later.

Reviews

Blind Faith: On possibly their best collection yet, the veteran vocal group drops a powerful Bomb Blues Review (USA)
The old boys are back in town and feeling funky. MOJO (UK)
Now approaching their eighties, they're determined to make the most of their time and their energy is extraordinary. They're sounding pretty contemporary, too, with Gift Of Gab from Blackalicious rapping on powerful versions of Bill Wither's 'Demons' and the trad 'Moses'. Elsewhere, their gospel voices are given a funky undertow by Billy Preston's organ, and Charlie Musselwhite adds some slow-burning blues harmonica to an inspired collection, with a simmering take on 'Spirit In The Sky' a standout. Uncut (UK)

Further Listening

Jubilation

The Holmes Brothers

Released 09 March 1992

Sublime gospel meets juke-joint blues. The Holmes Brothers give us a soul-stirring re-invention of a timeless collection of songs from the American gospel canon in one memorable live performance captured at the Real World Recording Week in 1991.
Sanctuary

Charlie Musselwhite

Released 12 October 2003

On this musical excursion, American blues legend Charlie Musselwhite explores the themes that have always charged the potency of the blues: loneliness, despair, evil, and dying. He casts a steady light on these shadowy topics, re-connecting the blues idiom to the haunting emotions that resonated so powerfully in its earliest incarnations.

Atom Bomb

Further reading

Bab L’ Bluz KEXP Session

Eliza Marshall announces debut solo EP

Track of the day: ‘Too Many Have Gone’ by The Breath

Track of the day: ‘First Light’ by Eliza Marshall