Whosoever South – Goin’ Home

Whosoever South
Goin’ Home
Pit Bull Productions (available May 14, 2013)
www.whosoeversouth.com

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog 

After listening to the opening strains of a banjo, unheard of in African American sacred music, the bluesy wheeze of a harmonica, and a rap segment, all on one record, I knew this was not going to be a typical day in the review office of TBGB. 

Such is the impact of Goin’ Home, the national debut by Georgia-based Whosoever South. The trio—husband and wife Rowdy and Sarah Eunice, and their longtime musical partner, Mike Mitchell—blends country, Americana, hip hop, and gospel/spiritual music in a way that brings to mind Alabama Shakes, Everclear, and Arrested Development.

Formerly a pop group called Solid Ground, the members escaped the more dangerous elements of the music industry and found God. Minding the lessons of John 3:16 and Romans 10:13, they recast their musical mission in 2008 as Whosoever South.

Amidst a relentless forward motion and swirls of harmonica, flute, fiddle, and other roots accompaniment, Whosoever South celebrates Southern manners, grassroots religion, and true grit. The lyrics on Goin’ Home sound as if someone stuck Alabama and Mumford & Sons songs in a blender and pushed puree. On “Where We From,” the group extols old-fashioned values, a strong work ethic, and solid grounding in faith. “All the Time” is part morality lesson and part play song. The title track has a neo-spiritual quality in its evocation of the hereafter, but to a hambone beat and with hip hop elements.

Rowdy explained the group’s sound. “It’s like a genre all its own, because we don’t fit into any one genre. It’s not really been done before, but it’s not all that complicated either. It’s just a combination of good music: country, bluegrass, gospel, and rap music all mixed together.”

The final three songs on Goin’ Home—“Give My Life To You,” “Your Love,” and “He’s Got It”—are straightforward holy hip hop, but by then the listener is so enthralled by the groove that it feels just as novel. Whosoever South gets five stars just for creativity and innovation. Goin’ Home is an impressive debut and a likely contender for top album of 2013.

Five of Five Stars

Picks: “Where We From,” “All the Time.”