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The Goins Brothers - Wandering Soul

(Rebel SLP-1586) 1980

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The Goins Brothers fourth and final album for Rebel was recorded at Track Recorders in Silver Spring, Maryland on the 25th-26th March 1977, but remained unreleased until 1980 & doesn't then seem to have got reviewed (or mentioned?) in 'Bluegrass Unlimited'.

Another sacred release, the chosen material includes versions of:- George Jones' Wandering Soul; the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers' Death Came A Creepin' In My Room; an instrumental version of Flatt & Scruggs Joy Bells; the Louvin Brothers Satan's Jewel Crown; Bill Monroe's Angels Rock Me To Sleep; the Stanley Brothers' Paul And Silas & Mother Call My Name In Prayer; an instrumental version of Patsy Cline's Just A Closer Walk With Thee; and Don Reno & Red Smiley's Using My Bible For A Roadmap... I'm not sure though who originally did Climbing These Stairs and Earth's Greatest Loss...

To my ear, the mix on this album sometimes sounds a little too vocal-heavy and the guest 'dobro' appearance by Seldom Scene's Mike Auldridge is a bit hit & miss. I guess this is partly down to the choice of material with the sparse arrangement needed on some cuts like Death Came Creeping, Paul And Silas etc. Ray presumably was also concentrating on his harmony vocal, so the banjo is largely absent. Melvin sings lead on all cuts and Ray Goins the tenor part, except Using My Bible For A Road Map, where the brothers swap parts on the verse and chorus. Curley Lambert also sings baritone on the a cappella Earth's Greatest Loss and Melvin's wife Willa (of the Woodettes) adds some nice tenor vocal on Climbing These Stairs.

Overall 'Wandering Soul' is still a decent album, with superb vocal harmony.

Death Came Creeping had previously been cut by The Goins Brothers on God Bless Her She's My Mother 1974, their 1969 debut Bluegrass Hits Old And New, and also with the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers during their spell at Starday in the early '60s.

Liner notes on this one are by Lester Flatt, who quips: "Melvin has used me and The Nashville Grass on this festivals a lot. We appreciate this because it helps put some meat on our tables to go with the Martha White biscuits..."

• Melvin Goins: guitar
• Ray Goins: banjo
• Conley Goins: bass
• John Askout: bass(a)
• Mike Auldridge: dobro
• Buddy Griffin: fiddle, lead guitar (b)
• Curley Lambert: mandolin, guitar (c)

NB: (a) on Satan's Jewel Crown and Joy Bells. (b) guitar on Death Came Creeping and Paul & Silas, lead and rhythm guitar on Run Satan Run. (c) guitar on Earth's Greatest Loss.