The Music Spectrum Notebook Series digs into my handwritten notes and reviews on older releases still getting my attention.
2008’s The Spirit, the Water, and the Blood from Ryan Delmore still commands a lot of attention in my CD player. Playing blue-infected, rootsy Americana rock, Delmore delivers worship music for those of us who are usually not all that interested in praise and worship music. It would take a unique blend of musicians to pull off playing these tunes, but even if you can’t replicate Delmore & Co.’s songs in your church, the disc is well worth letting spin in your player and transform your way of imagining what worship music can be.
Delmore’s voice crackles with a country blues singer-songwriter feel while Marc Ford’s electric guitar and Larry Schubert’s pedal steel punctuate the songs with aural Spirit-inspiration. Mark Folkrod’s drums help keep things on the back foot, tapping out that laid back backbeat (“Sing Like Mary Sang”).
“Provide for Me” rings with the strains of Psalm 121 through the country blues of a John Hiatt song. There’s an AltCountry, Son Volt stance to “Jesus’ Name.” Elsewhere, the ballads grow from a mumble, a dusty, dark barn, a flickering candle while you’re alone in prayer.
Ryan Delmore
Roots Worship
Varietal Records
