Howe Gelb has produced moments of magic in the past, with some of the Giant Sand material and almost the entire OP8 album, recorded with Lisa Germano, fitting neatly into that category. But ‘Sno Angel Like You is arguably the most incredible music the Tucson, Arizona native has ever created.
‘Sno Angel is the name Gelb created for the loose collective who put this album together, whose numbers include singer Susan Odle, guitarist Jim Bryson and now-Arcade Fire drummer, Jeremy Gara. All 14 songs feature Canadian gospel choir, Voices Of Praise, who contribute so much to this uplifting, often glorious record. They recorded seven brand new Gelb compositions, along with four gems from the Giant Sand back catalogue and three Rainer Ptacek songs, making for a seamless collection that manages to mash blues, country, gospel, groove and even sleazy rock into a totally engrossing whole.
Apparently the one stipulation Voices Of Praise had before recording with Gelb was that he kept the songs positive. He duly obliged and the resulting album is one of the most inspiring collections this reviewer has clapped ears on in some time, with songs like the monumental ‘But I Did Not’, an infectious advertisement for sticking to the straight and narrow, even when the ditch might seem more enticing. In fact, there really isn’t one bad song here, but standouts include the soaring ‘Paradise Here Abouts’, the powerful ‘Nail In The Sky’, the squalling ‘Howlin’ A Gale’, the wild Biblical imagery that lurches through ‘Neon Filler’ and Rainer Ptacek’s ‘That’s How Things Get Done’, where Howe comes across like Beck’s funky uncle jamming with Booker T’s mob.
‘Sno Angel Like You goes a long way towards cementing Gelb’s place in the pantheon of classic trans-Atlantic songwriters, and may even raise him into the elite band of Cash, Cohen, Reed and Young. It manages to retain the scuzzy, down-home, come-into-the-parlour-and-take-a-microscope-to-my-heart feel of Howe Gelb’s previous work, while delivering some of the most uplifting, enthralling, soaringly beautiful and gloriously soulful music you’re likely to hear this year.