[.ca] Keillor And The Hopeful Gospel

From Amazon.com:
Born backstage at Prairie Home Companion after discovering a love for good-sounding a cappella gospel in a stairwell, the Hopeful Gospel Quartet features the quintessentially American Garrison Keillor alongside Kate McKenzie and husband-wife duo Robin and Linda Williams. On this disc, recorded live at a show billed "A Pretty Good Night at Carnegie Hall" and produced by none other than Chet Atkins, the Quartet lights into gospel standbys such as "His Eye Is on the Sparrow," "My Rock," and "Jordan." Keillor, who (of course) serves as MC, trades licks between throaty harmonies and droll tales of individuality and Midwestern Lutheranism. Atkins and a crack band of Nashvillians accompany the Quartet on some numbers, which are quite lovely. But the real treat, as always, is Keillor's wholesome, ticklish charm. --Paige La Grone

Garrison Has "Made" A Good CD:
Listeners of "A Prairie Home Companion" are familiar with the Hopeful Gospel Guartet composed of Mr. Keillor, Kate MacKenzie and Robin and Linda Williams. They are accompanied here-- at times-- by the likes of Butch Thompson on piano and Chet Atkins who also produced the CD. The quartet sings some of the faster gospel numbers, the Stamps-Baxter types-- "My Rock","The Lord Will Make A Way", "Jordan", and "Travelin' Shoes." While these are sung well, I prefer the slower hymns, "There Is A Fountain", "Softly and Tenderly" and "Sweet Hour of Prayer." As you would expect from Mr. Keillor, he is not content to just sing here but interposes his familiar, gentle humor we have loved for so long on his radio show: "My people were Puritans who came to American in the late Seventeenth Century. They came to America in hopes of discovering greater restrictions than were permissible under English law." Mr. Keillor weaves such threads as these throughout the CD. My favorite cut here is the hauntingly beautiful a capella arrangement of "Now The Day Is Over." Keillor waxes nostalgic between verses about a young boy's sexual awakening in Minnesota and his desire to leave small town America and, in his case, get to New York City. Keillor pulls this off without becoming maudlin. He achieves here something similiar and as beautiful as what Thorton Wilder does in OUR TOWN, I think. Finally, Keillor sings a hymn to a loving God who lets us eat fresh corn straight out of the garden in "Sweet, Sweet Corn." (You won't find that one in the Broadman Hymnal.) It really does taste better that way.

• Introduction - Garrison Keillor
• My Rock
• There Is a Fountain
• Now the Day Is Over
• Lord Will Make a Way
• Jordan
• Monologue: 7th Inning Stretch
• Softly and Tenderly
• Medley: Sweet Hour of Prayer/His Eye Is on the Sparrow \oMedley\c
• Brownie and Pete
• Sweet, Sweet Corn
• Travelin' Shoes