Friday, November 26, 2010

Mike Farris and the Cumberland Saints Raise Money for Tennessee Flood Relief

Mike Farris continues spreading his gospel blues sound, this time with the Cumberland Saints in an EP: The Night the Cumberland Came Alive. This compilation features several well known musicians including Sam Bush, Ketch Secor and Gill Landry (Old Crow Medicine Show), Byron House (Robert Plant), Kenny Vaughan (Marty Stuart) and the McCrary Sisters.Not only that, but partial proceeds benefit flood relief and recover efforts through the Tennessee Emergency Response Fund.

Spreading the gospel is nothing new for Farris. His 2009 release Shout! Live Mike Farris was the 2010 Dove Award Winner For Best Traditional Gospel Album. This coming off the soulful sound from Salvation In Lights shows that Farris is multi-dimensional.And it shows in the six tracks of The Night the Cumberland Came Alive, starting with the bluesy harp in the title track to the gospel Wrapped Up, Tangled Up to bluegrass infused gospel Dear Lazarus (that's Sam Bush playing the fiddle). Then the EP travels south to New Orleans with Down on Me, which I can image Professor Longhair or Dr. John playing. This was my favorite track, New Orleans blues. And the EP ends with a rollicking version of Don't Let the Sun Go Down - pure New Orleans gospel jazz.

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