More glorious, soul-stirring singing can be heard on The Holmes Brothers’ latest, Promised Land (Rounder 2142; 48:24). Wendell and Sherman Holmes blend majestically with Popsy Dixon on this collection of gospel-flavored originals like “You’re Good For Me,” “Thank God For You” and the title track. They also put their soulful stamp on covers of Tom Waits’ “Train Song” and the Beatles’ “And I Love Her.” The Brothers get funky on “You Got To Go” and they get positively sanctified on a rendition of the traditional “I Surrender All.” The closest they come to straight, lowdown 12-bar blues here is Wendell’s raunchy “The New Improved Me.”
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