"Sacred steel" refers to the electric-lap- and pedal-steel-guitar playing found in House of God churches across the United States. This rambunctious, blistering, and sanctified live recording bears witness to the wide appeal of this music; it's totally pure and unaffected stuff that blues and rock fans are bound to enjoy as much as anybody. --Mike McGonigalThanks to Arhoolie Records' sacred steel series, we now get to hear one of the least publicized, most fascinating forms of gospel music around: the electric-lap and pedal-steel-guitar playing found in House of God churches across the United States. Influenced by Hawaiian music, blues, R&B, and loaded with soul, this is gospel like you've never heard before. And heard live, the effect of these rambunctious spirituals is all the more stirring. The Campbell Brothers steal the show here--from the almost Hendrix-y "God Is a Good God" (with Katie Jackson doing the vocal work) to "Celebration in Giving," a stirring blend of Chicago blues-meets-gospel. Willie Eason's "Take Your Burden to the Lord" may lack the guitar pyrotechnics of the Campbell boys but its message is just as touching. If you like your gospel charged with electricity--literally and figuratively--this is a must-have disc. And, though no small task, it's arguably the most awe inspiring of the entire Sacred Steel collection. --Jason Verlinde