Hymnshow
7&7is
Mezzo Music, LTD (Click HERE to order)

By Brian Quincy Newcomb

 

Given the devolution of the music “business” in these dark days – as streaming has swallowed most of the money musicians used to make by writing and recording music – it’s not surprising to find some legacy acts (The Choir, Randy Stonehill, and Terry Scott Taylor, among others) turning to a Patreon relationship with their fans. Some people are willing to contribute monthly to obtain new music by their favorite artists on a regular basis and to support them in their work.  Some of these recordings are fully realized, some merely demos recorded in a bedroom. A number of artists also offer fans the opportunity to stream the occasional live Internet show.

The 77s have taken a different path. They offer weekly live YouTube concerts in exchange for tips. Most of these shows have been intimate, acoustic sets featuring frontman, vocalist, and guitarist Michael Roe and drummer, songwriter, and vocalist Bruce Spencer. Occasionally they have streamed previously recorded full band shows as well. In addition to performing songs from across their forty-year catalog, they have presented numerous covers – sometimes chosen based on a weekly theme, sometimes by year, and sometimes inspired by current events. They end most sets with what they call the “Hymnsongs” section – a chance to play an old hymn or Gospel number – the way country artists often closed their old-time TV shows.

So, as a long-time fan, and even champion of The 77s, I was happy to learn that besides their weekly CoROEnosphere online performances, 2021 would see the release of their first new recording in years. But for fans who were waiting for something along the lines of Sticks and Stones, Pray Naked, or Drowning with Land in Sight –  Hymnshow may not be not the record you were hoping for. (The subtle fact that it is not actually credited to The 77s turns out to be significant here.)

In many ways, this album is the more churchy follow-up to Holy Ghost Building, 2008’s tribute to Gospel music’s influence on the roots of Southern blues, Appalachian country, and early Memphis rock & roll.  Though this set is marked with the distinction of being a “7&7 is” project and not an actual 77s album. Holy Ghost Building (which was released under The 77s brand) presented covers of traditional songs by the likes of The Stanley Brothers, Blind Willie Johnson, and Reverend Gary Davis. Some of the songs were pulled from relative obscurity while others had found their way into the mainstream. The Sevens brought their own unique style to these time-worn classics and delivered them with true rock and blues fervor. They made the songs their own in an artful way that paid tribute to the original but allowed their own personality and energy to shine through.

Sadly, it’s that willingness to interpret and reinvent the songs through their own musical prism, lifting them to their own high artistic standards as relevant rock artists with a story to tell, that is largely missing on this set. Hymnshow doesn’t contain one track with the kind of scorching slide guitar that we heard on “You’re Gonna Be Sorry,” and that’s disappointing.

Instead, Roe (lead vocals and most guitars), Bruce Spencer (drums and vocals), and Mark Harmon (bass and vocals) deliver up some of the classic church revival numbers of the American Evangelical movement, with a few earthier gospel songs mixed in with blues or “hillbilly” elements for spice. The smart, harmonica-drenched take on “Let the Devil Ride,” “Drinking Shine,” and “The Bible’s Right,” are fun examples of the latter, with “Praise God I’m Satisfied” being the best of this bunch. However, I suspect any kid who ever sat through an emotionally manipulative altar call with their fingernails digging into the pew may break out in sweats at the triggering tone of “The Old Rugged Cross” and “Softly and Tenderly,” despite good intentions and the invitation to “come home.”

This raises the question that lurks like an elephant in the comments section. In a time when “ex-vangelicals” are deconstructing the manipulative conservative religion of their early lives, sometimes wrought with abuse and an emphasis on sin and shaming, and many are abandoning conventional religious constructs altogether —why release an album filled with music many are more than happy to leave in the past? An answer might be found in the packaging. They have dedicated this album to their parents, which makes perfect sense. If I was still trying to convince my octogenarian mother to appreciate rock & roll made by Christian artists, this is a record she’d likely appreciate more than any 77s album in my collection. Problem is, I’m the old man now, and that ship has long sailed.

But these veterans deserve credit for doing what they do with craft & skill. Roe exhibits chameleon-like vocal versatility, and when he decides to solo on guitar, like the acoustic licks he offers on “The Bible’s Right,” there’s no doubt he can still surprise and delight (even while telling us “God knows you’re wrong.”) A couple of times, such as on “In the Garden,” Roe comes close to sliding into an Elvis impersonation. Every time I hear it I find myself hoping that he’ll go full-on in with the schtick. But in this case, they’re playing it straight. Perhaps too straight. The unplugged revival repertoire may please some of the fans, but many of them will likely reach for Holy Ghost Building, for satisfaction – or in my case, Pray Naked.

Hymnshow, by 7&7is, is available directly through the band’s label, Mezzo Music LTD (it can also be heard at this link.)

(Editor’s Note: When Quincy originally submitted this review, we decided not to run it. Although we are, and always have been, happy to run critical reviews, there seemed to be a disconnect between how he perceived the album (as a full-blown 77s project) and how we believed it was intended (as a more casual 7&7 is project.) To his credit, however, Michael Roe himself asked Quincy to see the review and says that he agrees with most of the critique. So now, with some clarifying corrections as to its branding, we are happy to run this piece. Now we can all go back to holding our breath for the full new album from the actual 77s.)