Style: Gospel songs done as old-timey Americana, with hints of jazz, country, and folk
Top tracks: “Dark Road,” “In the Garden,” “O My Soul”
Daniel Martin Moore grew up in a family that played gospel music all gathered around a creaky old piano, and those spiritual songs were handed down to him like an old family Bible—or, like folk songs, which is exactly how he treats them on In the Cool of the Day. “In the Garden” is done as an old-timey, swinging jazz number; “O My Soul” swells with church organ, while “Up Above My Head” is carried away by a sawing fiddle. The selections emphasize Christian faith as a personal, rather than a corporate experience—they are songs of encouragement and inspiration—and the album itself is a quirky, personal statement of passion for spiritual music.
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