Doyle Lawson is well known for putting out albums full of tight singing, precise playing, and thoughtful songs. This latest gospel release, Thank God is no exception. It’s just amazing how Lawson manages to put together bands with such tight vocals–at times the voices are so tight that it sounds like one person singing several notes. And pitch? Well, the people who make pitch correctors don’t get much business from the Quicksilver fellows.

Quicksilver does have personnel changes from time to time, and on this CD we have Jess Barry on fiddle, J. W. Stockman on fiddle, Jamie Dailey on guitar, Barry Scott on Bass, right-hand man Dale Perry on banjo, and (just like Bill Monroe, the mandolin player is still the same!) Doyle Lawson on mandolin. Everyone but the fiddlers sings lead and parts. You noticed that there were two fiddlers, right? Twin and harmony fiddles make for a fat, rich, fiddle sound. Dale Perry sounds great on the banjo. Lawson, of course, is a bonafide master of the mandolin.

You’d never guess from the title, but Thank God is full of praiseworthy songs, ranging from Willie Nelson’s “In God’s Eyes” to the Louvin’s “That’s All He’s Asking of Me” to the classic “Wait a Little Longer Please Jesus.” Rounding out the selections are two Don Reno numbers, one Carter Stanley, and the title track by Howard Watts. All are catchy and this album rewards repeated listening. “The Lord’s Last Supper” and “Will the Angles Play Their Harps” caught my ear immediately. They all combine to make a CD full of great gospel bluegrass. Frankly, I feel kind of redundant writing a review of an album like this; you already know they’re good! Just get it and let it work on you. (BK)

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