Righteous! The Essential Collection

1	Got Myself Together 4:54
2	Promised Land 3:34
3	When Something Is Wrong With My Baby 6:32
4	Fannie Mae 3:19
5	The New and Improved Me 3:55
6	I Surrender All 4:44
7	Train Song 2:56
8	None But the Righteous 5:58
9	Dashboard Bar 3:44
10	Don't Spare Your Sword 6:09
11	I've Been a Loser 3:21
12	Please Don't Hurt Me 4:19
13	The Final Round 2:51
14	There Goes My Everything 5:55
15	There's a Train 3:55
16	And I Love Her 4:50
17	Walk in the Light 3:15

Barnes & Noble

Brotherly devotion, both fraternal and familiar, can certainly pay off. Wendell and Sherman Holmes and Popsy Dixon have worked together as the Holmes Brothers trio for some five decades now, their blend of gospel, blues, country, rock, and R&B endearing them to an audience hungry for authentic music making. The collection Righteous draws on the trio’s fine Rounder recordings from the 1990s. The Holmes Brothers' ease with diverse genres is evidenced throughout, from their covers of Sam and Dave’s “When Something Is Wrong with My Baby” to Tom Waits’s “Train Song” to the Beatles' “And I Love Her” to traditional tunes like “I Surrender All” and “Walk in the Light.” But the Holmes Brothers were never just about remodeling the material of others. There are plenty of examples of the band’s first-class originals, songs that give voice to the decades of experience that make up the backbone of this unique outfit. Although they have since moved to another label, the Rounder work catches them at an exciting moment when decades of dues paying had finally given way to real opportunity. Steve Futterman

All Music Guide

Andy Breslau described the Holmes Brothers' music as "gospel-infused doo wop funk", which pretty much captures the spirit and synthesis of their style. Combining old R&B, soul, and gospel, brothers Sherman and Wendell Holmes along with Popsy Dixon create a rich sound filled with lovely harmony. The intensity of the group's studio performances evokes a live feel, offering an inkling of what their performances at Lynch's in Manhattan must have sounded like during the '80s. Righteous! collects almost 75 minutes of material from the group's four Rounder albums, beginning with In the Spirit in 1990 and ending with Promised Land in 1997. The album kicks off with a bit of electric blues topped with a healthy dose of soul on "Got Myself Together," a song that jumps out of the gate at a gallop and holds to a steady gait for five minutes. Gospel-drenched pieces like "Promised Land," complete with electric guitar, will have non-believers singing along, while classics like "There Goes My Everything" combine classic soul with a touch of country. One also wouldn't want to miss the Holmes Brothers' takes on Tom Waits' "Train Song" and the Beatles' "And I Love Her." Breslau's liner notes, which travel back to the Holmes Brothers' residency at Lynch's, are both edifying and fun to read. While all of the albums the Holmes Brothers recorded for Rounder are worthy efforts, Righteous! offers a solid introduction to anyone who has missed out on their wonderful music. Ronnie D. Lankford Jr.