THE KING JAMES BOYS, "Time To Go Home," Pinecastle. 11 tracks
Bluegrass gospel is almost as old as bluegrass itself.
Music historians say bluegrass was born in 1946 when Bill Monroe went into the recording studio with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs.
Although gospel music has always been part of bluegrass, it evolved into a subgenre of its own in the late 1940s with the work of Carl Story, who's known as "the father of bluegrass gospel."
Most bands these days do a combination of secular and gospel bluegrass.
But the King James Boys, founded in 1994, are an "all gospel bluegrass band that blends southern gospel harmonies with modern bluegrass sounds," according to their website.
Their first album with Pinecastle _ "Time To Go Home" _ is true to that description.
It covers the range of music from hard-driving bluegrass to gospel ballads.
Band members Randy Spencer, Cole Spencer, Milom Williams II, Curtis Lewis and Jeff Dover are joined on the album by Glenn Crain on Dobro and Ben Rochester on fiddle.
The blazing "The Master Standing By" kicks off the album.
Ron Block's "He's Holding Onto Me" says the singer isn't holding onto Jesus. Jesus is holding onto him.
"Was Nots" says God is coming to take His children home.
"Sign of the Times" says the end days are upon us.
The title track says Jesus is coming soon.
"That's Love," a ballad, says that love means sacrifice.
You can find the album at TheKingJamesBoys.com.
