Reviewed by Philip Croft

The Rev Jimmie Bratcher learned to play the blues as a teenager and in the 1960s and '70s played smoky blues bars performing covers and his own songs very much in the style of one of his heroes Muddy Waters. Having given up his music to follow his calling as a minister he has now managed to combine the two and his music has lost none of its earthy power. This album starts with a great selection of up-tempo blues songs which really show off Jimmie's guitar playing before going off into a selection of more traditional and more jazz flavoured Christmas songs which to my ears sound more than a bit cheesy even for a Christmas album. Thankfully Jimmie returns to the blues again for an incredible seven minute plus version of "Silent Night" which features some incredible guitar work before closing the album with an instrumental which even Eric Clapton would be proud of. If you like the idea of Christian Christmas blues search this one out for next Yuletide.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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