It's impossible to listen to this album and not be moved. No matter what your religious beliefs, there's something so soulful and primal about Mike Farris' delivery that it's hard not to be shaken to the core. The former frontman for the Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies had slid into the dark abyss of drug and alcohol addiction before finding his way to sobriety and reconnecting with his faith. He celebrates his new lease on life with this potent collection that combines his riveting originals alongside such old-time spirituals as "Oh Mary Don't You Weep" and "Can't No Grave Hold My Body Down." "Devil Don't Sleep" is an inventive Farris original with a Tom Waits vibe, while "I'll Take You There" is a powerful rendition of the Staples Singers classic. Farris has an amazing voice, and this sounds like the music he was born to sing. —Deborah Evans Price