Shovels & Rope Devilishly Buoyed By The Power Of Their Holy Convictions

Tonight's blog post is dedicated to my hairstylist Laura Murphy who told me I really needed to give Shovels & Rope a listen. Smart thinking. Traditionalists and new country fans should find equal parts enjoyment in the duo's "The Devil Is All Around". Do you know anyone who hasn't had his feet planted firmly on the ground in a long time. Turn him on to this down home entrancement. The vid clearly shows both halves of this couple throw everything they have into the words and accompanying harmonies. Tapping your foot in gospel review revelry is a mandatory exercise here. Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst hail from Charleston, South Carolina. You sure can hear the unchained jubilation one associates with the beachfront sway from that part of the country. Cary Ann is super skilled in using her drums to usher the make peace with your Redeemer message forward into brighter and exceedingly reassuring hues on the country color wheel. You figure the two have that Sunday service schedule mastered, chapter and verse? The highway they're travelling may be long but as long as they derive their moral compasses from a higher power that marathon race easily morphs into a giddy sprint to His waiting arms. There's precious little holding back the vivid imagery, particularly that snipper regarding Beelzebub and an apple in his soon to be conquest's mouth. In the acting game, the fourth wall describes the implied barrier between audience and players. Breaking it refers to pulling back the curtain so you get a deeper sense of connection. Shovels & Rope shine brightest through their refusal to keep a wall erected between their material and the hopeful throngs who wish to lap up as much of it as possible. In true husband and wife fashion you can readily notice the concentration both individuals have on the tangible joy they present to their audience. Stripped down fare that it is the music lovers weaned on Hank Williams drenched old school values ought to be charmed out of their socks. In similar measure the new outlaw set gets its due. Michael and Cary Ann don't let the heavy load they carry drag them deeper and deeper into a unresolved malaise. Chalk that up to the wings overhead. The faithful do rely on Him to remove the "im" from impossible even when the dealer holding the cards isn't dealing them anything besides random deuces. "Swimmin' Time" is the name of their latest release. You could be persuaded to pipe "The Devil Is All Around" poolside. Try it on a really sunny day and the results could be magical. The long and the short of it is Shovels & Rope clearly go where their creative Muse crooks a finger and begs them to follow. They get their full weight behind the message. "The Devil Is All Around" embodies angelic praise sent skyward.