Bobby McFerrin gets to the root of American music here, in fact to the root of LIFE with this most recent album that is a tribute to his father, Robert McFerrin Sr., who was a member of the Great Metropolitan Opera. In giving homage to his dad, he hits the right note by going into the Greatest Songbook of all, consisting of the Bible and Spirituals. McFerrin along with Esperanza, Larry Grenadier, Larry Campbell, Al Jackson, Charlie Drayton and Gil Goldstein deliver material as traditional as the Psalms as well as brand spanking new, but the theme is always about giving praise to God, and the appreciation of forgiveness, guidance and God’s sovereignty. McFerrin’s voice is folksy-rich, and unlike many other singers who delve into these songs, he sounds like he means it when he sings, as if he’s still in church with a hymnal. “Every Time I Feel the Spirit” with Spalding is a gem, and “Fix Me Jesus” is as intimate and honest a plea you’re going to hear. A bit of a modernism gets in the way of “He’s Got The Whole World (In His Hands)” with God being referred to as “He” and “She,” but it’s more than made up for with a hearfelt reading of Psalm 25:15 that feels like a devotional in solitude. Heart and soul rendering material that hopefully will start a revival of sorts, as the Bible says will happen when “A Father’s heart will turn to their sons.”
Sony Music Masterworks
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