Just as his former gospel group, the Blind Boys of Alabama, performed with artists as diverse as Peter Gabriel and Kanye West, vocalist/guitarist Sam Butler uses his first solo album to put his own bluesy spin on spiritual-leaning songs by secular artists like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits and U2.
The selections on the invigorating Raise Your Hands! are far from obvious, with Butler reaching back to Waits’ The Black Rider from 1993 for “Gospel Train” and pulling out “Heaven’s Wall,” a deep cut buried on Springsteen’s 2014 album High Hopes. U2’s “Magnificent” and Eric Clapton’s “Presence of the Lord” aren’t easily recognized, while most impressive is Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ swaggering yet uplifting “God’s Hotel.” Butler and his three-piece band capture the spirit of the originals while creating something entirely new.
