Songs of Inspiration

1	His Eye Is on the Sparrow 4:10
2	In the Garden 3:28
3	Amazing Grace 3:35
4	How Great Thou Art 4:26
5	I Need Thee 2:09
6	Old Shep 3:06
7	Jesus Loves Me 3:19
8	Silent Night 3:31
9	I Am the Man Thomas 2:02
10	Rock of Ages 2:36
11	In the Sweet By and By 3:28
12	The Old Rugged Cross 3:09
13	What Will I Leave Behind 2:40
14	One Big Heaven 4:16
15	Rain 3:35

Barnes & Noble

Finally bringing to fruition an idea incubating since 1990, Alabama deliver a moving set of 15 inspirational numbers, which include not only beloved old standards such as "Amazing Grace" and "In the Garden" but also Red Foley's "Old Shep," the Sunday School staple "Jesus Loves Me," and the enduring Christmas carol "Silent Night." Unlike their usual mega-produced corporate country-rock, Alabama here opt for a spare, low-key approach. The album personnel includes a wealth of strings and woodwinds and a long roster of background singers, but these are employed in a subdued manner. Often framed by only a single instrument, Randy Owen's expressive baritone is even richer for being so naked in the mix -- he's never sounded more emotionally invested in the material than he does here. Backed mostly by a lone piano on "How Great Thou Art," Owen energizes this towering hymn of praise by stripping it of bombast and letting the lyrics breathe, underscoring the power of the commitment expressed therein. On "In the Garden," he's backed by a gently strummed acoustic guitar on the first verse, and the tenderness in his relatively unadorned voice is stirring; eventually brush drums, mandolin, organ, piano, and a small choir enter, but so discreetly their presence barely registers. The album closes with two Owen originals. The country-flavored gospel ballad "One Big Heaven" finds Owen's ragged vocal buttressed by sprinkles of piano and organ flourishes before it's joined by a full-bodied choir and strings, as he imagines an afterlife Utopia in which all creeds live in harmony; "Rain," the closing track, brings the full electrified band into play, with guitars snarling and drums thumping, as Owen petitions the Lord for restorative grace for his barren soul. Disarming and direct, Songs of Inspiration is Alabama at their best. David McGee

All Music Guide

By and large, 2006's Songs of Inspiration, Alabama's first foray into gospel music, is quiet and respectful, a record made with care and precision but certainly not without heart. The reverent tone may be reminiscent of Alan Jackson's spiritual album Precious Memories -- released eight months before Songs of Inspiration -- but where Jackson sought out unfamiliar traditional tunes, Alabama stick with the familiar, singing such standards as "His Eye Is on the Sparrow," "In the Garden," "Amazing Grace," "How Great Thou Art," "Jesus Loves Me," and "Rock of Ages," even finding ways to work "Silent Night" and Red Foley's "Old Shep" into the mix. Their arrangements are straightforward, slow, and spare, emphasizing their still-strong harmonies, and they serve the songs well, even if they do wind up sounding a bit samey. Naturally, this means that when they pick up the tempo, those songs tend to boldly stand out, which the rip-roaring duet with bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley on "I Am the Man Thomas" and Randy Owen's surging original "Rain" -- the song here that comes closest to the patented Alabama sound -- certainly do. These songs are so strong that it's hard not to wish that there were just a couple more like them, since that would give Songs of Inspiration a variety that would be welcome, but even without them this is a fine record, one that's expertly executed yet also clearly heartfelt. Stephen Thomas Erlewine