JOHN BOWMAN

JOHN BOWMAN
THE HOLE

Mountain Home
MH18622

The Hole is a six-song EP of country and bluegrass gospel music. Bowman has chosen heartfelt songs from excellent writers, including Merle Haggard’s “Silverthorn Mountain.” John reports, “This EP was created with the intention of glorifying God. Each track, except for “Silverthorn Mountain”—a song about life—has a focused and pointed message that leads to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is my hope and aim that this music brings comfort, joy, and salvation to all who listen to it.”

The opening track “You Ought’ve Been There (Johnny Run The Pews)” comes from the Easter Brothers. John provides driving banjo and vocals while Josh Swift dances smartly with his distinctive resonator guitar work. A light touch of drums closes this number. “I Didn’t Drive The Nails” is a slower gospel number from Mark Wheeler on which John is joined by Ben Isaacs (acoustic bass) and Mike Rogers on vocals. “The Hole,” by Skip Ewing and James D. Hicks, is given a country arrangement with some electric guitar from Kelley Back and drums from Mike Rogers. It’s a cautionary tale with a gritty aspect to the story. “Little Bit” is another country arrangement about someone who wants more from The Lord than just a little bit. Bowman ends the project with a fine arrangement of “I’ll Talk It All Over With Him.”

John has honed his skills over the years by playing with The Isaacs, Doyle Lawson, The Boxcars, and Alison Krauss. All this experience and audio mixing by brother-in-law Ben Isaacs makes for fine results. Gordon Mote adds the right amount of piano, as well, to top off the package. (Mountain Home Music, P.O. Box 829, Arden, NC 28704, www.mountainhomemusiccompany.com.)BW