Style: Maudlin country/rock; compare to Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond, Roy Orbison
Top tracks: "Nothing But the Whole Wide World," "Strong," "A Better Place"
Campbell has been in show biz for more than 50 years, so you'll forgive him one final flourish. Following a diagnosis with Alzheimer's, the singer and sometimes-actor has declared Ghost on the Canvas to be his farewell album, and it is both a heartfelt and frequently dramatic curtain call with all the bells and whistles. While the songs are as maudlin and inwardly-focused as the latter-day Johnny Cash albums, the arrangements are all swelling string arrangements, dramatic guitar solos, and twinkling chimes. Simpler get-up might have better served the intimate, autobiographical lyrics, but there's no denying the tear-jerking impact of his thanksgiving to the Almighty ("Amazing Grace," not the hymn but a new composition) and to his wife ("Strong")—or his surprisingly sprightly reading of Jakob Dylan's "Nothing But the Whole Wide World."
While we pray for peace, we need moral clarity about this war.
As my doubts about his teachings grew, so did a secret fascination with Jesus.
After lobbying from fellow Southern Baptists and Christians affected by the war, the House speaker moves a package forward.
