CD Review

For 25 years the Campbell Brothers have helped members of the House of God Church near Rochester, New York, get happy with their fiery blend of pedal steel, lap steel, and electric guitar. Dubbed “sacred steel,” their brand of gospel music is for those who worship actively and openly—it is designed to get people out of their bodies and into the spirit. And recognizing that you must go through Saturday night to get to Sunday morning, the brothers incorporate elements of blues, jazz, and funk without losing track of where their true inspiration lies.

There are fine vocals by Denise Brown on a few tracks, but the steel does the real sermonizing here, especially on up-tempo numbers like “Frammin,” “Native Praise,” and “Good All the Time,” the latter of which features John Medeski on organ (he also produced the CD). Another standout is a soaring instrumental take on the Sam Cooke classic “A Change is Gonna Come,” with Darick’s lap steel trading lines with Phil’s crunchy guitar. Can You Feel It? is a tight, infectious album that satisfies, powered throughout by the sharp drumming of Phil’s son, Carlton. If you can’t feel this, your soul is in serious trouble.