In April I saw my Uncle David at a family wedding. The day after the wedding, while we were all assembled at another uncle's house, David handed me a CD marked Sabre Rattlers and told me that i had to listen to it. I trust David's taste in music implicitly. He was the one who introduced me (through my Dad) to The Wailin' Jenny's, who have been on my daily playlist for the last three years, and Otis Taylor. So, of course, I put the CD into my sister's CD player when we were driving to the hotel that same evening and when I did, I knew I'd been handed a treasure. The first song on the CD is a rocked out version of "Now Let Us Rejoice." A few seconds into the song an electric guitar starts to whine, evoking emotion that only an electric guitar can. At the time we listened to a few tracks, but not the entire CD. I wanted to listen to this in private, without my sister, whose tastes tend more toward Top 40. I wanted to be able to savor the experience and not have to coninually shush my children.
Back at home, I did a bit of searching and found out that the CD is titled "Twixt me and the Peaceful Rest" by Texas-based (I think) band The Sabre Rattlers. It is a surprising mix of classic hymns all rearranged to reflect the influences to be found in traditional American music--country, bluegrass, folk, jazz and early rock n' roll. Where "Now Let Us Rejoice" is definitely rock, "The Spirit of God" has more of a bluegrass feel with the banjo and fiddle taking center stage. It's gorgeous. All of the songs are gorgeous and unforgettable, and will most likely be recognizable to a broad audience of Christians, since many of the hymns Mormons sing are also sung by other Christian denominations. My favorites, "Let the Lower Lights Be Burning" and "Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me" are not in the LDS hymnal, but still carry messages of the Savior.
This is definitely not your grandmother's Sabbath music. Don't get me wrong, I like The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. But there is more interesting music out there, preformed by many talented artists who are doing incredible interesting things with our traditional hymns.
Give The Sabre Rattlers a try. Below you can listen to the CD in it's entirety. If you like it, I encourage you to buy it. You can buy it for download on The Sabre Rattlers website, or on iTunes. If you prefer you can also buy a hard copy directly from the website. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter and of course, Youtube.
