As its title states, this album is the follow-up to Gospel Blues Volume 1 that Shack of Peasants released in the spring. For those who weren't aware of the first recording, Shack of Peasants is made up of a number of contemporary Christian musicians who share a common love for blues music. Led by ace guitarist Lanny Cordola, some of the other members include Darrell Mansfield, Crystal Lewis, Phil Bardowell, and Chris Lizotte.
As with Volume 1, this album is a mixture of old standards and new songs written by Cordola and friends. One notable difference from the first album, however, is the much larger part that Crystal Lewis plays in this one. She does a very effective job at interpreting some of the old songs, successfully paying tribute to the style, as well as making it seem fresh.
Cordola once again is great on the guitar-and contributes a couple of tunes, "A Shack In Negev," "Hymns Of The Meek," and "Won't Be Long Til' Paradise." The last song also appeared on Cordola's last solo album, Of Riffs And Symphonies. On that version, Jon Gibson handled the vocals, while Lewis takes care of them on the Shack of Peasants record. While I prefer the version by Gibson, Lewis' take on the song fits in better with the rest of this album.
Cordola also ably handles the lead vocals on a cover of Bob Dylan's "Ring Them Bells." While he doesn't have the most wonderful voice in the world, it is extremely suited to this type of song.
Another notable cut is "John the Revelator," which bears no resemblance to Phil Keaggy's version. This one is acoustic, with Darrell Mansfield and Lewis sharing the vocals.
If you enjoyed the first album, or just have an appreciation for blues music, pick up this one.
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