These came out in 2005 — or at least that’s when I got ’emt. Here’s what I said about them back then (with some minor editing):
There’s more than one way to get to heaven. Likewise, there’s more than one way to get a fresh dose of heavenly gospel from The Blind Boys of Alabama.
On the one hand, you’ve got Atom Bomb, the latest studio set from Clarence Fountain and his long-serving outfit (including co-founding baritone George Scott, who passed away last week at 75). Like their last few releases, this one balances soul-stirring hymns with more contemporary fare (including a boogiefied cover of the Norman Greenbaum classic Spirit In The Sky!) and features guest stars like Los Lobos’ David Hidalgo, organist Billy Preston, rapper Gift of Gab and harmonicat Charlie Musselwhite.
On the other hand, you’ve got Live At The Apollo, which finds The Blind Boys and singer-guitarist Ben Harper performing their 2004 disc There Will Be A Light in its entirety, along with a few extra cuts. Neither one is the Boys’ finest offering — Atom Bomb feels a little slight at just 35 minutes, while the leisurely paced Apollo is overly long at 73 and consists mostly of Harper songs you’ve heard before. But either will make you feel a couple of steps closer to the promised land. And there’s no sin in that.
