Clearwaters (Mountain Home, 2023)

Forty years ago, bluegrass and bluegrass gospel in particular, wasn't much of a blip on anyone's radar outside of the genre itself. So this digital reissue of an out of print classic is a welcome development, and it sounds as fresh and timeless as it did upon its initial release.

David Marshall was part of his family bluegrass gospel group The Marshall Family in the 1970s, a precursor to familiar names such as The Isaacs. His songs found their way to Larry Sparks and Ralph Stanley, among others. For this solo effort, he gathered several members of the family band along with J. P. Pennington of Exile and a future "Who's Who" of bluegrass players including Dale Ann Bradley, Bryan Sutton, Steve Gulley, Ben Isaacs and Jeff Parker.

Hearing these songs now, and this style of bluegrass that flirted with contemporary sounds and energy while maintaining a foundation of traditionalism, is colored by the intervening years where groups such as Blue Highway, Balsam Range (founded in part by Tim Surrett, who produced these original sessions), and Rhonda Vincent and the Rage made that combination commonplace. Back then, the only ones doing anything quite like it were perhaps New Grass Revival and Tony Rice.

Even as fascinating as this album is in a historical context, musically it's equally captivating. Marshall reinvents the old-time number "Hammer and Nails," strolls comfortably through gospel waltz numbers such as "Restore Thy Brother" and leads sublime harmony singing on uptempo tunes such as "A Song To Sing" and "The Last Time," which also show off some excellent instrumental soloing from several players. The centerpiece is the inspiring title track, "Clearwaters (23rd Psalm)," which interpolates the familiar scripture into a gorgeous, expansive gospel song that's part Michael Martin Murphey, part Sam Bush.

David Marshall isn't a household name in bluegrass or gospel, but at least having this exceptional early album back in circulation will make a case that maybe he should be.