Over the course of their two previous recordings, In the Spirit and Where It's At, the Holmes Brothers allowed their many influences – R&B, country, soul, gospel – to shine through their explosive and stirring juke-joint blues. On Jubilation (a one-off for Peter Gabriel's Real World label), they set out to redefine not only gospel music, but the blues as well. Captured live in the studio during a festival organized by Gabriel, the Brothers (vocalist-drummer Popsy Dixon, pedal-steel guitarist Gib Wharton, singer-guitarist Wendell Holmes and singer-bassist Sherman Holmes) serve up an electrifying mix of traditional and original gospel tunes in a manner that suggests a church service in a Texas brothel.

When Wendell announces "Amazing Grace" as a song that "hits you where you live" and the tune takes off, it becomes clear that the group is discovering itself in the musical possibilities of the moment; Popsy Dixon's crooning tenor suggests Marvin Gaye more than the Reverend James Cleveland, though Sherman takes care of that. The songs are dark, moving and full of surprises; on "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" the band is assisted by three Nigerian guitar players, and on "All Night, All Day," a variety of singers from around the world support Popsy and Sherman in an international reading of the Sunday-morning standard.

On Jubilation the Holmes Brothers blend the age-old traditions of American music into a unique whole, creating a sound both entirely new and instantly recognizable. (RS 636)

THOM JUREK