E.C. Ball with Orna Ball & the Friendly Gospel Singers

Track Listings

1. Trials, Troubles, Tribulations

2. When I Can Read My Titles Clear

3. Born to Serve the Lord

4. Chow Time

5. Aunt Dinah's Quilting Party

6. Do You Call That Religion?

7. Cabin in the Valley

8. Give Me Just a Little More Time

9. I See God in Everything

10. House of Gold

11. Ain't No Grave Can Hold My Body Down

12. Raggin' the Wires

13. Early Bird Always Gets the Worm

14. John the Baptist

15. I'm Glory Bound

16. Parting Hand

17. Black Mountain Rag

18. Jacob's Ladder

19. When the Saints Go Marching In (Theme)

20. I Want to Be Ready

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Tracks:

Trials, Troubles, Tribulations
When I Can Read My Titles Clear
Born To Serve The Lord
Chow Time
Aunt Dinah's Quilting Party
Do You Call That Religion?
The Cabin In The Valley
Give Me Just A Little More Time
I See God In Everything
House Of Gold
Ain't No Grave Can Hold My Body Down
Raggin' The Wires
The Early Bird Always Gets The Worm
John The Baptist
I'm Glory Bound
The Parting Hand
Black Mountain Rag
Jacob's Ladder
When The Saints Go Marching In (Theme)
I Want To Be Ready
If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again
Sweetest Mother
Church In The Wildwood
The Old Rugged Cross
He's A Wonderful Savior

Customer Reviews:

Doc Watson style flatpicker sings great gospel music.......2006-04-18

Ball is a phenomenal flatpicking guitarist who sings old-timey gospel songs with his wife. It's all 100 percent genuine and extremely well-played, very Doc Watson-like. Orna's vocals add a special something that puts this stuff over the top.

Great picking, nice harmonies.......2003-08-11

E.C. Ball can pick as good as Chet Atkins or Doc Watson. Had he made more recordings perhaps he would be better known. The instrumental pieces "Chow Time" and "Raggin'The Wires" use harmonics and far-out chord progressions with a technique that amazes without being flashy. This is honest, home-made, enduring music by a married couple with deep faith. They read the Bible literaly; the opening track simply and plainly relays the peaceful respite afforded the believer while the rest of us endure a horror-show phantasmagoria of the end times, yet somehow it isn't preachy. Even though "Do You Call That Religion" is about throwing the ill-mannered out of church, the song fails to offend perhaps due to the understated delivery, or the whimsical, almost pop-rock licks E.C. throws in. Speaking of licks, "Ain't No Grave" by itself makes this album worth buying. I would like to see Rounder release the second album, "Father's Have A Home Sweet Home" on CD. That one has a spine-tingling version of "Pretty Polly" with just EC and banjo, as well as a great version of "Jubilee."

The sound of people singing what they is........2001-12-06

You know that Bible Belt rhetoric aimed at converting the listener? This ain't none of that. What you got here is people singing plain. Nothing in their voices gives any indication of being tinged with anything other than exactly what is in them. It's classifiable nowadays as music from an historial cultural period. But it can also be listened to as if you just liked it.

Mountain Gospel at its best.......2001-07-04

This album is as authentic as any field recording by Lomax - a quiet Mountain Gospel style. E. C. Ball"s guitar style is his own i.e. while showing similar influences to the Carter Family, he developed a style rather than copied. His singing is straight-forward with excellent harmonies provided by his wife. Some of the tracks that stand out:

Give Me Just a Little More Time - a gem also available on a Wiregrass shapednoted note album. Here this gospel song is sung as pure gospel with notable tempo changes. However, while it doesn't sound rushed, try singing along - the tempo is fast but unhurried.

The Parting Hand - a common closing hymn for Sacred Harp conventions is here sung as gospel. The gospel harmonies work every well providing a different and excellent unusual arrangement to the hymn.

If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again - bet you have to sing along. Simply an excellent rendition that trusts the music itself and "reduces" the performers to invisible channels of the music.

Listen closely to the words of John the Baptist ... voice like a what! The net result of the album is that you feel in the presence of warm, welcoming performers who sing out of love of the music.

Music Review:

Music Review

Music Review

1. Trials, Troubles, Tribulations
2. When I Can Read My Titles Clear
3. Born to Serve the Lord
4. Chow Time
5. Aunt Dinah's Quilting Party
6. Do You Call That Religion?
7. Cabin in the Valley
8. Give Me Just a Little More Time
9. I See God in Everything
10. House of Gold
11. Ain't No Grave Can Hold My Body Down
12. Raggin' the Wires
13. Early Bird Always Gets the Worm
14. John the Baptist
15. I'm Glory Bound
16. Parting Hand
17. Black Mountain Rag
18. Jacob's Ladder
19. When the Saints Go Marching In (Theme)
20. I Want to Be Ready