JOHN BOWMAN, BEAUTIFUL ASHES

JOHN BOWMAN
BEAUTIFUL ASHES

Mountain Home
MH16442

This isn’t John Bowman’s first solo effort, but it’s his way of making a statement that says he has his own ministry. “This recording is a valuable part of the ministry God has entrusted me with,” Bowman said. “Every song has a special message for every listener whether they are believers or not.” Previously, Bowman has been linked with The Boxcars, The Isaacs, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Alison Krauss & Union Station, and J.D. Crowe & the New South.

Unlike his previous ballad heavy, Dove-nominated project, Worship Him, this collection of songs includes some more uptempo numbers such as “When My Traveling Days Are Over” and “Let The Hard Times Roll,” which features his 19-year-old son Levi singing on a verse. He puts his spin on Carter Stanley’s “Baby Girl,” in tribute to his teenage daughter Jakobi, and gives a nod to Southern gospel legends, The Easters, on the banjo-infused “They’re Holding Up The Ladder.” The first single is a prayerful piano meditation, “Sweet River.” He ensnares listeners on revival songs “Lies The Devils Told” and “Reach Of His Hand.”

Besides Bowman’s soothing tenor vocals, he plays guitar, mandolin, and bass. Tre’ Corley is on piano with Nathan Faucett, drums, Rob Ickes, resonator guitar and Weisenborn guitar, Ron Stewart on fiddle, and Troy Engle, who co-produced the project with Bowman, adding mandolin. With a collective mixture of country, bluegrass, and gospel, Bowman links together entertainment with life lessons. (Mountain Home, P.O. Box 829; Arden, NC 28704, www.mountainhomemusiccompany.com.)BC