The Source Staff

Keeping the steel in the family.In a weird way, it's accurate to call the Campbell Brothers "church
music," because, technically they play their tunes in a church, just as
they've been doing since they were kids. But this isn't the church
music of organs, autoharps and white-haired women singing falsetto with
one hand raised, leading a drowsy congregation though a down-tempo hymn
- this is pretty much rock music.

Chuck Campbell grew up in the House
of God Church, a Pentecostal, predominately African-American
denomination that shies away from the pipe organ, opting for the steel
guitar to lift the spirits of the congregation, and get them moving
their feet. This isn't a whining, yawning county Western slide guitar -
the House of God sound, often referred to as "Sacred Steel," is more of
a shouting, screaming, wailing manipulation of the instrument that,
when accompanied by a band, is pretty hard not to dance to.

Black and White, yes. But not old timey.Langhorne Slim is in North Carolina gearing up for a friend's wedding and he's telling me about the iPod that his girlfriend gave him for Christmas. But he's not talking about the new Radiohead he just dumped onto the device - like a whole lot of new iPod owners probably did in the wake of the holidays - he's telling me about all the Lee Hazlewood tracks he loaded up.

Hazlewood, the iconic country music rebel who died of cancer just this past summer, isn't who I'd expected Langhorne Slim - one of the most promising young songwriters playing today - to be listening to. Then again, after a few more listens to Langhorne's tunes, it makes sense.