THE CD: “Voice of the Spirit: The Gospel of the South” (Dualtone Records)
PERFORMERS: Several

Nashville producer John Carter Cash, son of the late Johnny Cash and June Carter, put together this tribute to Southern Gospel music. It features Mac Wiseman, Johnny Cash, Mavis Staples, Connie Smith, Marty Stuart, Ronnie and Del McCoury, Rodney Crowell, John Cowan, Tony Rice, Earl Scruggs, Vince Gill, The Fisk Jubilee Singers and others, on separate tracks, singing a wide variety of vintage gospel songs.

“Voice” starts off with Wiseman singing the Alfred Brumley song, “By the Side of the Road.” The bluegrass legend’s voice gets warmer with age. Cash includes one of his father’s final recordings, “Unclouded Day.” The timeless lyric and stark accompaniment are the perfect accompaniment for Cash’s weary yet still vital, singing.

Banjo master Earl Scruggs is also a killer guitar player, and presents a simply beautiful “If I Be Lifted Up,” played in the what sounds like the “Carter Scratch” style, created by Mother Maybelle Carter.

Which leads us to another Carter Family gem, “Diamonds in the Rough,” done here by Laura Cash and Larry Gatlin. They trade verses, and Cash plays some nice fiddle.

Each track is different, presenting a wide spectrum of Southern sounds. This is another one of those pleasant surprises that comes in the mail. What is it about a gospel melody that is so moving? “Listen to the tiny voice inside,” producer Cash writes in his liner notes. Indeed.

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