Charlie Louvin
(Tompkins Square)
So what if Charlie Louvin's voice shows the ravages of age? Louvin has history and experience on his side. The 81-year-old has been singing gospel songs all his life, most notably with his brother Ira in the peerless Louvin Brothers, and these ten gospel classics run in his bloodstream.
Backed by a choir of three sisters and a churchy piano and a bit of guitar, Louvin sings about the beauties of heaven, the preciousness of the Lord, his confidence in a Higher Power. Like late period Ralph Stanley or Johnny Cash, Louvin makes his age work for him by not disguising its frailty and thinness and by choosing songs that befit his intimations of mortality. The call-and-response of Steps To Heaven's rendition of "There's A Higher Power" will never replace the Louvins' original, but Louvin sounds like the elderly gentleman that he is, and he sells the songs like a true believer.
Standout Tracks: "I Feel Like Travelling On," "How Beautiful Heaven Must Be" STEVE KLINGE
