Rebel

Along with Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley helped define the bluegrass banjo style. And like Scruggs, the 84-year-old Stanley – who first made his name in the 1940s with his late brother Carter and their group the Clinch Mountain Boys – is one of the last surviving links to the roots of that genre. On this collection of spirituals, Stanley doesn’t play any banjo but the soulfulness and commitment of his voice – which has grown weathered and coarse – is still unmistakable. Stanley draws from diverse sources here, including a stark, a cappella take on blues/gospel great Blind Willie Johnson’s “John the Revelator,” as well as from traditional hymns and original compositions. Throughout, Stanley gives an emotional, appropriately spirited performance; he’s obviously enamored of these songs, some of which date back more than a century.