Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

For those not familiar with the burgeoning genre known as sacred steel music, it began in the House of God Church in the US where exponents of this explosive form of music mixed blues with gospel and funk to make a sound defined by the dizzying runs of an electrified pedal steel guitar or two. Hailing from Miami, the Lee Boys are seasoned purveyors of sacred steel having appeared on stage with countless luminaries including Robert Plant, BB King and Mavis Staples and this live album catches them in what sounds like their natural habitat. Setting a rip-roaring pace from the get go, the boys - mostly either brothers or cousins - whip the crowd up with "In The Morning" before offering up lengthy high octane versions of other spirituals such as "Walk With Me Lord", "Don't Let The Devil Ride" and "You Got To Move". As live albums often are, this is a rough and ready affair with the lads not always getting it right when it comes to keeping harmonies, drums fills and such like nice and tight plus the ear-splitting on stage feedback is a bit off-putting. Nonetheless, the Lee Boys sound like a great act to catch live - not least for the dazzling pedal steel skills of Roosevelt Collier and Chris Johnson as well as the sheer energy of vocalists Derrick and Keith Lee.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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