Gospel Bluegrass Homecoming, Vol. 1

The words "Country" and "Bluegrass" in the title of this live various-artists album don't necessarily suggest gospel music, but "Homecoming" signals that this is a release from the Gaither combine, and thus must be religiously oriented. The 20 tracks are handled by 19 different performers in traditional country and bluegrass styles, and the lineup is stellar, including George Jones, Vince Gill, Ralph Stanley, Marty Stuart, Rhonda Vincent, and Doyle Lawson, to cite some names that may be familiar beyond the gospel field. They fit right in with the all-gospel artists in songs that praise God, confess earthly troubles, and look forward to a heavenly reward. Jason Crabb contributes the maudlin, if devout "I Sure Miss You," directed at a departed loved one and expressing the comfort of religion to compensate for loss. After all, the dead are in heaven, where the faithful hope to follow them soon. Bluegrass gospel often reveals this strain of solemnity and outright mourning, and Gill brings it back feelingly at the end with his reading of "Go Rest High on That Mountain," making it a fitting conclusion.