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 Say hello to ‘Goodbye, Babylon’ A Review By Jason Statts “We commend to Almighty God the brothers and sisters on these discs; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to digital. The Lord bless them and keep them, the Lord make his face to shine upon them and be gracious unto them and give them peace. Amen.” So reads the introduction to the Dust-to-Digital Web site. Dust-to-Digital is a record label of sorts (though it might more easily be referred to as a restoration or resurrection label). It was founded by Lance Ledbetter as an outlet for a mammoth project he worked more than four years to complete. The project is called “Goodbye, Babylon” and consists of six discs — five that feature 135 gospel and inspirational songs from 1902-1960, and one that features 25 sermons from 1926-1941 — as well as a 200-page book including Bible verses, notes and transcriptions for each recording, plus over 200 illustrations. Each set is hand-assembled, and all contents are wrapped in raw cotton (to represent the hardships and backgrounds of many of the included artists) and packed beautifully in a fragrant cedar box. Dust-to-Digital also pressed a 15-track sampler disc intended for the press. The sampler disc is discussed here. The disc opens with the collection’s title track, “Goodbye, Babylon.” A heavenly aural scratchiness surrounds the Rev. T.T. Rose and Singers as they clap and bid farewell to earthly existence. The faith held by each voice is clear and unshakable. It is an amazing document of recorded purity that speaks volumes of what is to follow. “There Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down” blasts acoustic guitar holiness and sweet mandolin salvation as Brother Claude Ely lets everyone know how it is going to be in the hereafter. Sister O.M. Terrell sings of lies, deceit and adultery over bluesy passages in “The Bible’s Right.” Her insistence is heartfelt and true. Two sermons are included on the sampler disc, one of which is called “Black Diamond Express to Hell” by Rev. A.W. Nix. His voice is strong and gruff. He speaks of a metaphorical train to Hell where “sin is the engineer, pleasure is a headlight and the devil is the conductor.” The bell rings “Hell bound, Hell bound!” The mix of preaching and sing-song storytelling makes an impact. There are several full stations along the way. The train to Hell, it seems, is a popular ride. “Goodbye, Babylon” is interesting in many ways. It serves as a historical account of spiritual songs and sermons, as well as an account of recording techniques available in the early part of the century. Any fan of old-time music, Americana, bluegrass, country, etc. will find “Goodbye, Babylon” enjoyable. If the sampler disc is any indication, the full set will no doubt be great. “Sinner, you better get ready.” Stats is an art director in college publications. |
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