Sackcloth 'N' Ashes by 16 Horsepower (CD, May-2005, A&M Records USA)

Immediately evocative of Grant Wood's American Gothic painting, this CD brings brooding storm clouds over the Midwest and Southern sensibilities the music grows out of. Bold in lyrics and experimentation, 16HP pushes their instruments in directions I've never heard before. David's vocals resound with passion, even when it veers into territory replete with hillbilly earmarks. The themes range from picking up women to repentance before a majestic God. If I wasn't familiar with Edward's Woven Hand material I would have thought that the religious sensibilities were merely a façade. Instead, I see a thorough mixture of the transcendent with the gritty fleshiness of real life, set to music perfectly crafted for the job.