[rating=3.50]
Mike Farris has been to hell and back, and listening to The Night the Cumberland Came Alive is further proof of what salvation—both in the physical and spiritual sense—has done for him. Gone are the drug and alcohol binges, the hard living and the mainstream success he experienced as the frontman for the Screaming Cheetah Willies back during the ‘90s, and in their place is a wizened man who would rather rock for charity than for accolades and financial gain (proceeds from the album will go towards the victims of the recent Nashville floods by way of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee). It is actually a pretty refreshing thing to see, because while Farris might not be storing up his treasures on earth, so to speak, this six-song EP is full of gems.
From rousing spirituals (“Dear Lazarus”) to bluesy piano numbers like “Mother Earth,” Farris is constantly writing and playing on this album in light of the reality that this life goes by in a flash, and that there are questions and facts we all ought to come to grips with sooner or later. The latter track reminds the listener that all the clothes and fancy vehicles in the world will not make a heap of difference when we die, and the funky ragtime track “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down” is a raucous number that punctuates the importance of making every moment count and living your life with purpose.
As on his previous releases, Farris not only knows how to have a good time but he also tells his story without the audience feeling like they are being preached to. A prime example is on the blues stomper “Wrapped Up, Tangled Up” where Farris uses a fishing story to talk about how good it feels for him to have been snagged by Jesus despite all the squirming and resisting Farris did along the way. Given his past, it would have been easy for Farris to turn this song into an altar call and talk about the fires of hell that await those who need Jesus, but instead he focuses on the fact that his life is now better with Jesus than it was without, and he just lets the example be what it is.
Farris sings with passion aplenty, his sometimes raspy Southern drawl able to reach soaring heights as his throaty wails fill the air. Fine performances by a rap sheet of guest vocalists—including the McCrary Sisters, Gill Landry of the Old Crow Medicine Show and even members of Farris’ own Roseland Rhythm Revue—help round out the album in fine fashion.
Cumberland is a solid album for a good cause, and there is a lot to like about this album; one of 2010’s liveliest and most enjoyable listens.
